Prevalence of anxiety and depression in people with different types of cancer or haematologic malignancies: a cross-sectional study.

AIMS: Cancer patients often present with psychological symptoms that affect their quality of life, physical health outcomes and survival. Two of the most frequent psychiatric comorbidities are anxiety and depression. However, the prevalence of these disorders among cancer patients remains unclear, as studies frequently report varying rates. In the present study, we aimed to provide robust point estimates for the prevalence of anxiety and depression for both a mixed cancer sample and for 13 cancer types separately, considering confounding variables. METHODS: In a sample of 7509 cancer outpatients (51.4% female), we used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess rates of anxiety and depression. Applying ordinal logistic regression models, we compared the prevalence of anxiety and depression between different cancer types, controlling for age and gender. RESULTS: About one third of our sample showed symptoms of anxiety (35.2%) or depression (27.9%), and every sixth patient had a very likely psychiatric condition, with women being more frequently affected. Elderly patients more often showed signs of depression. The prevalence of anxiety and depression was significantly higher in lung and brain cancer patients, than in other cancer patients. Lowest depression rates were found in breast cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of anxiety and depression is high in cancer patients. Type of cancer is an important predictor for anxiety and depressive symptoms, with lung and brain cancer patients being highly burdened. Considering a personalised medicine approach, physicians should take into account the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities and include psychiatric consultations in the treatment plan.

[Reading activity of the elderly visually disabled as a problem of educational gerontology.]

In the article, in the context of the development of educational gerontology, materials of an empirical study of such a specific subject of reading activity as the visually impaired elderly are presented. According to the results of a specially conducted survey, in which the respondents were 356 blind and visually impaired aged 60 to 90 years and older, living in 13 regions of the Russian Federation, the reading preferences of elderly people with disabilities are differentiated and taking into account the action of general and specific socio-typological factors. vision, the intensity of their reading activity, the library practices they implement, the motivation for reading, and the degree of consistency and certainty of their reading position.

[Visually impaired older adults as a target group of social rehabilitation: towards the issue of the peculiarities of lifestyle.]

The article presents materials of an empirical study of the peculiarities of the way of life of visually impaired older people in a social rehabilitation context. In comparison with older people without disabling visual impairment, the older blind and visually impaired, according to the results of the conducted questionnaire survey, are characterized in terms of their position in society, the preservation of the «inner core¼ of the personality, involvement in social and cultural life, the need for novelty and expansion of «spiritual and cultural spaces¼, creative activity and social and cultural communication.