背景:越来越多的研究表明,失业对癌症幸存者有不利影响。然而,潜在的机制还没有得到很好的理解。此外,包括亚裔美国癌症幸存者在内的少数族裔仍未得到充分研究,然而,他们更经常遭受失业之苦。本研究调查了华裔美国乳腺癌幸存者(CABCS)中失业的患病率,并调查了该组中失业与幸福感之间的关系及其潜在机制。
方法:CABCS填写了一份问卷,其中包括人口统计,employment,和临床信息,以及社会心理幸福感的衡量标准。进行了描述性分析,以衡量失业的患病率,线性回归用于测试失业和幸福感之间的关联,并进行了路径分析以测试中介。
结果:大约45.4%的幸存者在被诊断出患有癌症后失去了工作,在评估时间之前,只有35.2%的失业人员重新获得了就业。失业与收入减少有关,这与更高的感知压力有关,which,反过来,与较低的整体生活质量(QoL)和更大的抑郁症状相关。
结论:研究结果强调了CABCS中失业的高患病率及其对生活质量和抑郁的负面影响。对于医疗保健专业人员来说,对影响少数BCS的不良财务事件敏感是很重要的。除了提供BCS必要的实际援助外,以减轻与癌症经历相关的感知压力为重点的心理社会干预措施可能有效减轻失业的一些长期后果。
BACKGROUND: A growing number of studies suggest that job loss has detrimental effects on cancer survivors. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Furthermore, minorities including Asian American cancer survivors remain understudied, yet they suffer from job loss more often. The present study examined the prevalence of job loss in Chinese American breast cancer survivors (CABCS) and investigated the relationship between job loss and well-being in this group and the underlying mechanisms.
METHODS: CABCS completed a questionnaire that included demographic, employment, and clinical information, as well as measures of psychosocial well-being. Descriptive analyses were conducted to gauge the prevalence of job loss, linear regressions were used to test associations between job loss and well-being, and path analyses were conducted to test mediations.
RESULTS: About 45.4% of survivors lost their job after being diagnosed with cancer, and only 35.2% of those who lost their job regained employment up to the assessment time. Job loss was associated with reduced income, which was associated with higher perceived stress, which, in turn, was associated with lower overall quality of life (QoL) and greater depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the high prevalence of job loss and its negative effects on QoL and depression among CABCS. It is important for health care professionals to be sensitive to adverse financial events affecting minority BCS. In addition to offering BCS necessary practical assistance, psychosocial interventions focusing on reducing perceived stress associated with the cancer experience may be effective in mitigating some long-term consequences of job loss.