Determination of Factors Related to Depression in Cancer Patients of the Oncology Ward in Kerman

Depression is one of the most frequent behavioral disorders characterized with disenjoyment, lack of motivation, sexual disorders, sleeping disorder and depressed mood. Depression is a prevalent complication in cancerous patients that mostly occurs as a result of social function impairment. In this cross-sectional study on cancerous patients hospitalized during a 6-month period in the radiooncology ward of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, the relationship of depression severity with variables of age, sex, marital statues, educational statues, life region and frequency of chemoradiotherapy sessions were studied and the predictive factors were determined. The prevalence or severity of depression showed significant relation with age increase (OR=10.8, P<0.05), low education (OR=6.4, P<0.05), being single (OR=2.8, P<0.05), and undergoing more than six therapeutic sessions (OR=3.2, P<0.05), while there was not such a relation for variables of sex and life region. Logistic regression model showed that, age over 45 (OR=8.1, P<0.05), being illiterate (OR=6.5, P<0.05) and being single (OR=4.3, P<0.05), are good predictors for depression in patients with cancer, while the number of therapeutic sessions was not a significant risk factor. Treatment of depression as a part of therapeutic plan of cancerous patients especially in high risk cases, seems to be so important in decreasing the period of disease and patient’s disability