Hopelessness and Depression in Cancer Patients

Abstract

The hopelessness and depression of cancer patients (124) who were admitted to an oncology hospital's medical oncology ward were investigated. Data were collected with using a personel information form, Beck hopelessness scale and Beck depression inventory. It was determined that 93.5% of the patients had hopelessness, 80.6% had depression symptoms. It was determined that there weren't significant correlations between ages of the patients and hopelessness (r=.165, p=.067) and depression (r=.014, p=.881), but it was determined that there were significant correlations between hopelessness and depression (r=.699, p=.000) and determined that as hopelessness scores increased the depression scores increased. The hopelessness and depression scores were high in women and housewives. In this study there was no statistically significant difference between the patients' characteristics of age group, marital status, educational level, duration of illness or diagnosis with hopelessness and depression (p>0.05). The cancer patients experience problems with hopelessness and depression. For this reason cancer patients who are admitted to the hospital need to have their psychological problems, like hopelessness and depression, routinely evaluated in the same way as their physical condition.