BACKGROUND: Symptoms of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) can have a significant impact on patients\' quality of life and treatment adherence. We aimed to investigate the relationship between CRF and multiple psychosocial and somatic indicators within a large mixed cancer sample.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, N = 1787 outpatients with cancer were assessed for CRF, pain, anxiety, and depression using validated screening instruments. We further obtained clinical parameters (Hb, CRP, creatinine, leukocytes, ASAT, and ALAT), sociodemographic data (age, gender, income, education level, marital status, parenthood, and living area), and lifestyle factors. Multivariate linear regression models were applied to estimate the impact of each indicator on CRF.
RESULTS: Overall, 90.6% of patients experienced some CRF, with 14.8% experiencing severe CRF. No gender difference was found in the prevalence of CRF. Patients with higher levels of pain, depressive symptoms, and lower Hb levels had significantly higher levels of CRF (ps <0.001). Lower levels of CRF were observed in patients who had children (p = 0.03), had less education (p < 0.001), and were physically active for more than 2 h per week before their oncological diagnosis (p = 0.014). The latter was only a significant indicator in the male subsample.
CONCLUSIONS: The present results demonstrate a high prevalence of CRF and highlight that not only somatic and psychosocial factors, but also lifestyle factors prior to diagnosis appear to be associated with the etiology and persistence of CRF. To effectively treat CRF, a biopsychosocial, personalized approach is recommended.

OBJECTIVE: In Germany, children diagnosed with cancer survive their initial disease in more than 80%, and the majority will become long-term survivors. Around the age of 18, survivors are transferred to adult healthcare. The transition can be a critical period in the process of care at which many childhood cancer survivors discontinue to participate in regular follow-up care. Hence, the objective of the paper was to explore (a) survivors\' attitudes towards pediatric follow-up care and (b) their concerns regarding the transition process to draw conclusions for optimizing pediatric care and transition processes.
METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 adolescent childhood cancer survivors between the ages of 14 and 20. The survivors were recruited via a pediatric oncology department of a university hospital in Germany. Based on the principles of qualitative content analysis, a deductive-inductive method according to Kuckartz was applied.
RESULTS: Based on the interview guide and derived from the exploratory research questions, two key categories were generated: (a) Survivors\' attitudes towards pediatric follow-up care, which encompasses all formal and emotional aspects of survivors regarding follow-up care, and (b) their concerns regarding transition from pediatric to adult healthcare, where hindering and facilitating factors for a successful transition occur. Our results show high satisfaction among survivors with follow-up care. Nevertheless, they wish to be more integrated into processes and the organization of their follow-up care. Most adolescent survivors do not feel ready for transition.
CONCLUSIONS: The integration of survivors into the organization processes and routines, and the promotion of emotional detachment from pediatric health care professionals (HCPs) are important to reduce concerns and uncertainties of adolescent survivors regarding the transition process and to promote subjective readiness for transition. To gain confidence in the adult healthcare, it is crucial to provide tailored education depending on individual requirements and needs and to build trusting relationships between survivors and adult HCPs.

OBJECTIVE: To identify, describe and synthesise the views and experiences of adults living with asthma regarding shared decision-making (SDM) in the existing qualitative literature METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search of 10 databases (list databases) from inception until September 2023. Screening was performed according to inclusion criteria. Tools from the Joanna Briggs lnstitute were utilised for the purposes of data extraction and synthesis in this study. The data extraction process in this study employed the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation Model of Behaviour (COM-B model) as a framework, and a pragmatic meta-aggregative approach was employed to synthesise the collected results.
RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included in the metasynthesis. Three synthesised themes were identified: the capability of people living with asthma, the opportunities of people living with asthma in SDM, and the motivation of the people living with asthma in SDM.
CONCLUSIONS: We have identified specific factors influencing people living with asthma engaging in SDM. The findings of this study can serve as a basis for the implementation of SDM in people living with asthma and provide insights for the development of their SDM training programs. The ConQual score for the synthesised findings was rated as low. To enhance confidence, future studies should address dependability and credibility factors.
CONCLUSIONS: This review contemplates the implementation of SDM from the perspective of people living with asthma, with the aim of providing patient-centred services for them. The results of this review can benefit the implementation of SDM and facilitate information sharing. It offers guidance for SDM skills training among adults living with asthma, fosters a better doctor-patient relationship and facilitates consensus in treatment decisions, thereby enabling personalised and tailored medical care.
UNASSIGNED: Three nursing graduate students participated in the data extraction and integration process, with two students having extensive clinical experience that provided valuable insights for the integration.

BACKGROUND: The psychological well-being of lung cancer patients is critical in-patient care but frequently overlooked.
METHODS: This study, employing a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based design, aimed to elucidate the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among lung cancer patients and identify associated risk factors. Participants\' demographic, medical history, disease stage, and pathology were systematically collected. Psychological assessment was conducted using the general anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7), patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software (version 25.0).
RESULTS: Out of 294 distributed questionnaires, 247 lung cancer patients were included in the final analysis, with an average completion time of 9.08 min. Notably, 32.4% exhibited depressive symptoms, while 30% displayed signs of anxiety. A significant correlation was found between both depressive and anxiety symptoms and a history of tobacco and alcohol consumption. Specifically, increased nicotine dependence and greater cumulative tobacco use were linked to higher rates of depressive symptoms, whereas cumulative alcohol consumption was associated with increased risks of anxiety symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: The study affirms the feasibility of GAD-7, PHQ-9, and HADS as screening tools for depressive and anxiety symptoms in lung cancer patients. It further highlights tobacco and alcohol consumption as significant risk factors for poor psychological health in this population.

Leventhal\'s common sense model of self-regulation highlights how specific beliefs about illness influence psychological outcomes. Little is known on how such beliefs relate to BRCA1/2 adjustment. Furthermore, beliefs about one\'s self-concept may be relevant to genetic conditions and may relate to psychological wellbeing.
One-hundred and eighteen female BRCA1/2 carriers from an Irish University Hospital completed questionnaires for this cross-sectional study. Outcomes measured were state anxiety and physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Explanatory variables included sociodemographics, health anxiety, illness perceptions, coping and self-concept. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted.
Then, 44% of participants had clinically significant state anxiety and 12% had clinically significant health anxiety. Vulnerability, stigma, mastery and health anxiety explained 42% of the variance in state anxiety. Previous mental health difficulty, vulnerability, stigma, mastery and health anxiety explained 40% of the variance in mental HRQOL. Dysfunctional coping strategies were strongly related to the physical functioning aspect of quality of life.
BRCA-specific beliefs related to self and health anxiety are important factors to consider in the adjustment to BRCA1/2 confirmation.

Caregiving does not have to be a totally negative experience for the husband caregivers of breast cancer survivors (BCS). There are growing interests in exploring the positive psychological changes (aka posttraumatic growth; PTG) among husbands of BCS. Western studies have shown that coping resources, cognitive appraisal, and coping strategies are associated with PTG among caregivers of BCS. Studies in the Chinese context are limited. This study examined the psychosocial correlates of PTG among husbands of Chinese BCS.
Husbands of Chinese BCS (N = 176) were recruited from two hospitals in Weifang, China to complete a cross-sectional survey. Their levels of caregiving burden, marital satisfaction, cognitive appraisals, coping strategies, and PTG were measured.
After controlling for covariates, hierarchical regression results indicated that higher caregiving burden (β = .29), marital satisfaction (β = .27), challenge appraisal (β = 016), and social support seeking (β = .23) were associated with higher PTG (Ps < .05). Additionally, a significant interaction between caregiving burden and positive reframing emerged in explaining PTG (β = .17, P < .05). Positive reframing was only associated with higher PTG among those with higher caregiving burden (β = .25, P = .03), but not those with lower caregiving burden (β = -.09, P > .05).
Stress and coping variables significantly contributed to PTG among husbands of Chinese BCS. Our findings implied that addressing those husband caregivers\' marital satisfaction, challenge appraisal toward the impact of breast cancer, and social support seeking could be intervention strategies to facilitate their PTG. Among husbands having higher caregiving burden, positive reframing may also facilitate their PTG.

The psychological resilience of postoperative non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is influenced by many factors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the current state of psychological resilience and identify its influencing factors in postoperative NSCLC patients.
This descriptive cross-sectional study used a convenience sampling method and recruited 382 inpatients from two Class A hospitals in Hunan, China. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPHH), Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used.
Postoperative NSCLC patients\' psychological resilience was at a low level, with a score of (57.18 ± 8.55). Stepped Linear Regression showed that the related influencing factors of psychological resilience of postoperative NSCLC patients were age (β = -0.313, P < .001), family average income (β = 0.143, P < .001), self-efficacy (β = 0.416, P < .001), confrontation (β = 0.116, P < .001) and acceptance-resignation (β = -0.155, P < .001), which could explain 58.0% of the total variation in psychological resilience (F = 103.68, P<.001).
Psychological resilience is positively predicted by average income, self-efficacy, confrontation, but negatively predicted by age and acceptance-resignation. Self-efficacy is the most important variable influencing psychological resilience in postoperative NSCLC patients. In the future, a series of targeted interventions need to be implemented to strengthen patients\' self-efficacy and psychological resilience, which can also improve the quality of life of postoperative NSCLC patients.

Psychosocial interventions can reduce cancer-related fatigue effectively. However, it is still unclear if intervention effects differ across subgroups of patients. These meta-analyses aimed at evaluating moderator effects of (a) sociodemographic characteristics, (b) clinical characteristics, (c) baseline levels of fatigue and other symptoms, and (d) intervention-related characteristics on the effect of psychosocial interventions on cancer-related fatigue in patients with non-metastatic breast and prostate cancer.
Data were retrieved from the Predicting OptimaL cAncer RehabIlitation and Supportive care (POLARIS) consortium. Potential moderators were studied with meta-analyses of pooled individual patient data from 14 randomized controlled trials through linear mixed-effects models with interaction tests. The analyses were conducted separately in patients with breast (n = 1091) and prostate cancer (n = 1008).
Statistically significant, small overall effects of psychosocial interventions on fatigue were found (breast cancer: β = -0.19 [95% confidence interval (95%CI) = -0.30; -0.08]; prostate cancer: β = -0.11 [95%CI = -0.21; -0.00]). In both patient groups, intervention effects did not differ significantly by sociodemographic or clinical characteristics, nor by baseline levels of fatigue or pain. For intervention-related moderators (only tested among women with breast cancer), statistically significant larger effects were found for cognitive behavioral therapy as intervention strategy (β = -0.27 [95%CI = -0.40; -0.15]), fatigue-specific interventions (β = -0.48 [95%CI = -0.79; -0.18]), and interventions that only targeted patients with clinically relevant fatigue (β = -0.85 [95%CI = -1.40; -0.30]).
Our findings did not provide evidence that any selected demographic or clinical characteristic, or baseline levels of fatigue or pain, moderated effects of psychosocial interventions on fatigue. A specific focus on decreasing fatigue seems beneficial for patients with breast cancer with clinically relevant fatigue.

This waiting-list randomized controlled trial examined the effectiveness of a self-management mHealth app in improving fatigue and quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients and survivors.
Persons with cancer-related fatigue (CRF) were recruited across four English speaking countries, via social media, and randomized into intervention (n = 519) and control (n = 280) groups. Whereas the intervention group received immediate access to the Untire app, the control group received access only after 12-weeks. Primary outcomes fatigue severity and interference, and secondary outcome QoL were assessed at baseline, 4, 8, and 12-weeks. We ran generalized linear mixed models for all outcomes to determine the effects of app access (yes/no), over 12-weeks, following the intention-to-treat principle.
Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significantly larger improvements in fatigue severity (d = 0.40), fatigue interference (d = 0.35), and overall QoL on average (d = 0.32) (P\'s < .01), but not for overall QoL in the past week (P = .07). Sensitivity analyses indicated that participants with medium or high app use benefited most when compared with nonusers and control participants (P\'s ≤ .02). The intervention effect on fatigue interference was slightly stronger in younger participants (≤56 vs. >56). Effects did not depend on education and cancer status. Reliable change analyses indicated that significantly more people showed full recovery for fatigue in the intervention vs the control group (P\'s = .02).
The Untire app can be an effective mHealth solution for cancer patients and survivors with moderate to severe CRF.

Masculinity, body image and self-esteem are important interlinked factors affecting prostate cancer (PCa) patients\' quality of life. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and evaluate all tools measuring these domains in men with PCa.
This review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines with a priori protocol registered. Pubmed, Embase, Medline and Psychinfo were searched from inception to May 2020. Studies using a predefined tool which measured any body image, self-esteem or masculinity construct in men with PCa were included, as well as validation studies of these. Reliability, validity and responsiveness of tools identified were objectively evaluated against the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties.
From 1416 records screened, a final 46 studies consisting of 17 different tools were included in the systematic review. Seven tools were identified assessing body image, nine masculinity and one self-esteem, varying widely in their number of items, possible responses and domains assessed. Most tools had evaluated internal consistency through Cronbach\'s alpha analysis; however, structural and discriminative validity, and responsiveness were lacking for many. Additionally, only one tool identified was specifically developed and evaluated in patients with PCa: The Masculinity in Chronic Disease Inventory.
Numerous tools have been used for the measurement of body image, masculinity and self-esteem in men with PCa. However, few were developed specifically for these patients. More research is therefore needed to ascertain specific factors affecting these outcomes in PCa patients, so valid, reliable and clinically relevant tools can be developed.