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Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine 3/2013

01-06-2013 | Original Article

Which Symptoms Come First? Exploration of Temporal Relationships Between Cancer-Related Symptoms over an 18-Month Period

Authors: Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, B.A, Josée Savard, Ph.D, Hans Ivers, Ph.D

Published in: Annals of Behavioral Medicine | Issue 3/2013

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Abstract

Background

Anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue, and pain are frequently reported by cancer patients. These symptoms are highly interrelated. However, few prospective studies have documented the sequence with which symptoms occur during cancer care.

Purpose

This longitudinal study explored the temporal relationships between anxiety, depression, insomnia, fatigue, and pain over an 18-month period in a large population-based sample of nonmetastatic cancer patients (N = 828), using structural equation modeling.

Methods

The patients completed a battery of self-report scales at baseline and 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 months later.

Results

The relationships between the same symptom at two consecutive assessments showed the highest coefficients (β = 0.29 to 0.78; all ps ≤ 0.05). Cross-loading parameters (β = 0.06 to 0.19; ps ≤ 0.05) revealed that fatigue frequently predicted subsequent depression, insomnia, and pain, whereas anxiety predicted insomnia.

Conclusions

Fatigue and anxiety appear to constitute important risk factors of other cancer-related symptoms and should be managed appropriately early during the cancer care trajectory.
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Metadata
Title
Which Symptoms Come First? Exploration of Temporal Relationships Between Cancer-Related Symptoms over an 18-Month Period
Authors
Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, B.A
Josée Savard, Ph.D
Hans Ivers, Ph.D
Publication date
01-06-2013
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Annals of Behavioral Medicine / Issue 3/2013
Print ISSN: 0883-6612
Electronic ISSN: 1532-4796
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-012-9459-1

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