ASSESSMENT OF DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN CANCER PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY

This research was conducted to evaluate depression, quality of life in patients with cancer who received chemotherapy. The research in the form of a descriptive-cross-sectional study population consisted of 140 patients who received chemotherapy at the outpatient chemotherapy unit of Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital. No sampling was attempted and 130 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The study data were collected between January and April 2011 through face-to-face interviews using a descriptive form, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Quality of Life Scale Short Form-36. It was found that 83.1% of the patients had depression. Further, a significant difference was found among the patients’ certain socio-demographic and illness-related characteristics and the mean scores of Beck Depression Inventory and Quality of Life Scale Short Form-36 summary values. The correlation analysis suggested a moderate negative correlation between the mean scores of Beck Depression Inventory and Quality of Life Scale Short Form-36 summary values. In the light of these results, we recommend that awareness should be raised in patients, their families and health professionals about the factors that influence depression and quality of life in patients receiving chemotherapy and they should be given training on these issues.