Returning to work in lung cancer survivors-a multi-center cross-sectional study in Germany.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Purpose
To investigate the work situation of lung cancer survivors and to identify the factors associated with their returning to work.Methods
Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were used to evaluate study population characteristics and independent factors of subsequently returning to work. To analyze time to return to work, Cox regression was used.Results
The study sample included 232 lung cancer survivors of working age from 717 enrolled participants in the multi-center cross-sectional LARIS (Quality of Life and Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Lung Cancer Survivors) study. About 67% of the survivors were not employed during the survey. More than 51% of the survivors who were employed before their illness did not return to their work. The survivors who had returned to their careers were younger, associated with higher household income, lower fatigue score, and stable relationship and vocational training. Patients who received social service counseling showed a higher chance of regaining their career.Conclusions
Lung cancer survivors were found to be associated with a high risk of unemployment and very low professional reintegration after interruption due to illness. More comprehensive studies are needed to support lung cancer survivors and targeting of patients in need of special attention in rehabilitation that would benefit from the findings in the present study.
SUBMITTER: Rashid H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8163665 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:ObjectivesTo investigate experiences of parents of paediatric cancer survivors in cancer-related changes in the parents' daily life (work life, family life, partner relationship and social life) during and after intensive cancer treatment and to examine the reintegration process with its impeding and facilitating factors.DesignThe design of this cross-sectional study involves a qualitative content analysis of semistructured interviews.SettingParticipants were consecutively recruited in clinical settings throughout Germany.ParticipantsForty-nine parents (59% female) of 31 cancer survivors (aged 0-17 at diagnosis of leukaemia or central nervous system tumour) were interviewed approximately 16-24 months after the end of intensive cancer treatment (eg, chemotherapy).ResultsDuring treatment, more than 70% of parents reported difficulties reconciling paid work, household and family responsibilities and caring for the ill child. Couples spent little time with each other and approximately 25% reported dispute and burden. Many parents did not have enough energy for pursuing any hobbies during treatment. However, over the long term, being faced with the child's disease also led to strengthened relationships, new priorities, improved communication, increased mutual trust and greater appreciation for daily life. Supportive social networks (family/friends/employers), a strong partner relationship prior to the diagnosis and the use of psychosocial services (eg, family-oriented rehabilitation) had a positive impact. At the time of the interview, most families had adapted well. However, reintegration took time and some parents lacked the energy required to continue life as they did before the diagnosis.ConclusionsEven though most parents successfully readjusted to a new 'normality', reintegrating into daily life after paediatric cancer treatment remains difficult. Professional psychosocial support could help families with the reintegration process. Lastly, clinical staff (eg, physicians, psychologists, social workers) should bear in mind that the burden of parents does not automatically end with the end of intensive cancer treatment.
| S-EPMC7064139 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeThis study describes the protocol for the design and evaluation of a self-assessment based educational program supporting cancer patients' return-to-work (RTW), prior to its complete and ongoing implementation.MethodsWe designed a multi-center, randomized controlled trial with three follow-up points. The study population (N = 239) includes recently diagnosed cancer patients who plan to receive active treatment at two university hospitals in Korea. A pre-test is conducted at the point of enrollment for both groups. The intervention group receives a leaflet clarifying misconceptions about RTW and is shown a video clip of patient interviews concerning RTW. The control group receives a booklet about cancer and nutrition, and is not provided with further intervention. After active treatment, the intervention group receives a one-time, face-to-face education session with an oncology nurse. Following the education session, both groups receive three follow-up phone calls. The first follow-up call occurs at the end of intervention and at the end of active treatment for intervention and control groups, respectively. The next two follow-up calls will be conducted one month and a year following the post-test. The primary outcome is whether the patient has RTW or has plans to RTW, and the secondary outcome is knowledge of RTW.ResultsAs of April 2020, 239 patients have been enrolled in the trial. Statistical analyses will be conducted upon trial completion in December 2020.DiscussionWe hypothesize that the provision of RTW education near diagnosis will not only enhance patients' intentions to RTW, but also effectively encourage them to RTW.
| S-EPMC7451719 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, insomnia has become one of the longer COVID-19 symptoms. This study aimed to investigate insomnia among COVID-19 survivors and explore the occurrence and influencing factors of insomnia. A cross-sectional study was performed from December 2022 to February 2023 through an online questionnaire star survey with 8 questions. The insomnia severity index scale (ISI) was used to assess the severity of insomnia. Univariate analysis was used to analyze the factors related to COVID-19 infection. A total of 564 participants (183 males and 381 females) were surveyed in the present study. The prevalence of insomnia was 63.12%. Among these insomnia patients, there were 202 (35.82%) with sub-threshold symptoms, 116 (20.57%) with moderate symptoms, and 38 (6.74%) with severe symptoms. Univariate analysis indicated that there were statistically significant differences in the prevalence of insomnia among COVID-19 survivors of different ages, occupations, and educational levels (P < .05). Of the 356 insomnia patients, 185 (51.97%) did not take any measures against insomnia, while those who took drugs only, physical exercise only, drugs and physical exercise, and other measures were 90 (25.28%), 42 (11.80%), 17 (4.78%), and 22 (6.18%), respectively. Additionally, of the 107 insomnia patients with drug therapy, 17 (15.89%) took estazolam, 16 (14.95%) took alprazolam, 39 (36.45%) took zopiclone, and 35 (32.71%) took other drugs to improve insomnia symptoms. The prevalence of insomnia symptoms remains high among COVID-19 survivors in China. Education level and occupation may be the influencing factors. Unfortunately, most patients with insomnia do not take corresponding treatment measures.
| S-EPMC10869043 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeThis study investigated whether parenting stress, work-family conflict, resilience affect retention intent in Korean nurses returning to work after parental leave.MethodsThe participants in this study were 111 nurses recruited from 10 hospitals in Korea, who were working after formal parental leave from their hospitals. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of variance, the Mann-Whitney U-test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression.ResultsRetention intention (33.80±7.78), parenting stress (101.70±17.57), and resilience (85.02±12.75) were at greater than moderate levels and a midpoint level of work-family conflict (29.63±7.00) was noted in this sample of mostly women nurses in their 30s. The factors affecting retention intent were parental leave duration, the number of times that participants had taken parental leave, health condition, work-family conflict, and resilience. The total explanatory power of these variables was 36.7%. Retention intent had a negative correlation with parenting stress and work-family conflict. Conversely, retention intent was positively correlated with resilience.ConclusionThis study supports the need for flexible adjustment of returning nurses' working hours and family-friendly policies to promote balance between work and family. It is also necessary to develop and apply measures that boost resilience and support health improvement for nurses returning to work.As nurses are often assigned to new areas of work upon return, training programs to aid their adjustment may also be helpful.
| S-EPMC9334207 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Long COVID has become a burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Research into the etiology and risk factors has been impeded by observing all diverse manifestations as part of a single entity. We aimed to determine patterns of symptoms in convalescing COVID-19 patients. Symptomatic patients were recruited from four countries. Data were collected regarding demographics, comorbidities, acute disease and persistent symptoms. Factor analysis was performed to elucidate symptom patterns. Associations of the patterns with patients' characteristics, features of acute disease and effect on daily life were sought. We included 1027 symptomatic post-COVID individuals in the analysis. The majority of participants were graded as having a non-severe acute COVID-19 (N = 763, 74.3%). We identified six patterns of symptoms: cognitive, pain-syndrome, pulmonary, cardiac, anosmia-dysgeusia and headache. The cognitive pattern was the major symptoms pattern, explaining 26.2% of the variance; the other patterns each explained 6.5-9.5% of the variance. The cognitive pattern was higher in patients who were outpatients during the acute disease. The pain-syndrome pattern was associated with acute disease severity, higher in women and increased with age. The pulmonary pattern was associated with prior lung disease and severe acute disease. Only two of the patterns (cognitive and cardiac) were associated with failure to return to pre-COVID occupational and physical activity status. Long COVID diverse symptoms can be grouped into six unique patterns. Using these patterns in future research may improve our understanding of pathophysiology and risk factors of persistent COVID, provide homogenous terminology for clinical research, and direct therapeutic interventions.
| S-EPMC8875229 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPsychotherapeutic consultation at work (PT-A) provides employees with mental illnesses or subclinical symptoms a short-term and low-threshold access to psychotherapeutic care. However, practical experience shows that the utilisation rate seems low compared to expected demand. Therefore, this study aimed to identify determinants of utilisation by exploring associations between sociodemographic characteristics, psychological well-being, stigma-related barriers and psychosocial safety climate and the intention to seek PT-A.MethodsWithin a cross-sectional study, 658 participants were recruited via various social media channels in Germany. Participants answered an online questionnaire on potential determinants of (1) intention to seek PT-A in general and of intention to seek PT-A to specifically discuss (2) occupational burden and (3) private burden. Multiple ordinal regression analyses were conducted for the whole study sample and for the subgroups of participants screened positive and negative for current depression.ResultsLower stigma-related barriers were associated with higher general intention to seek PT-A among all study groups. Lower psychological well-being was associated with higher general intention to seek PT-A and with higher intention to seek PT-A to discuss occupational and private burden, but only so in the subgroup of employees who were screened negative for current depression. Treatment experience was associated with higher intention to seek PT-A for occupational burden among participants screened negative but not among participants screened positive for current depression. No associations were found between age, gender, education or psychosocial safety climate and any variable of intention to seek PT-A.ConclusionThose results give an overview on potential determinants for the intention to seek PT-A, but future research with longitudinal designs is needed to confirm that those factors also determine actual utilisation of PT-A. Based on the results, practical implications might include antistigma campaigns and promotion of PT-A adapted to the aims of the consultation.
| S-EPMC10559521 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeThe decision-making process regarding cancer treatment is emotionally challenging for patients and families, harboring the risk of decision regret. We aimed to explore prevalence and determinants of decision regret following radiotherapy.MethodsThis cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary cancer center to assess decision regret following radiotherapy. The study employed the German version of the Ottawa Decision Regret Scale (DRS) which was validated in the study population. Decision regret was categorized as absent (0 points), mild (1-25 points), and strong (> 25 points). Various psychosocial outcome measures were collected using validated questionnaires to identify factors that may be associated with decision regret.ResultsOut of 320 eligible patients, 212 participated, with 207 completing the DRS. Median age at start of radiotherapy was 64 years [interquartile range (IQR), 56-72], genders were balanced (105 female, 102 male), and the most common cancer types were breast (n = 84; 41%), prostate (n = 57; 28%), and head-and-neck cancer (n = 19; 9%). Radiotherapy was applied with curative intention in 188 patients (91%). Median time between last radiotherapy fraction and questionnaire completion was 23 months (IQR, 1-38). DRS comprehensibility was rated as good or very good by 98% (196 of 201) of patients. Decision regret was reported by 43% (n = 90) as absent, 38% (n = 78) as mild, and 18% (n = 38) as strong. In the multiple regression analysis, poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, low social support, and dissatisfaction with care were independent risk factors for higher decision regret after radiotherapy.ConclusionsThe German version of the DRS could be used to assess decision regret in a diverse cohort of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Decision regret was prevalent in a considerable proportion of patients. Further studies are necessary to validate these findings and obtain causal factors associated with decision regret after radiotherapy.
| S-EPMC10978708 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Return to work (RTW) plays an important role for lung cancer survivors. Few studies focus solely on the relationship among possible variables and the RTW of lung cancer patients. The aim of our study was to examine sociodemographic, disease-related and work-related factors associated with RTW among lung cancer survivors in Taiwan. A total of 2206 employees who had been diagnosed with lung cancer at the Labor Insurance Database (LID), Taiwan Cancer Registry (TCR) and the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) during the period 2004-2015, were included in the study. We used the Cox proportional hazards model to investigate the associations between sociodemographic, disease-related and work-related factors on one hand and RTW on the other hand. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for analyzing the survival probability. Patients with an early cancer stage and those who underwent surgery had a higher likelihood of RTW. Factors including older age, male, higher monthly income and receipt of radiotherapy were inversely correlated with RTW. For lung cancer patients, RTW was a predictor of a lower risk of all-cause mortality in both the unadjusted and fully adjusted model. A better survival rate was found in stage III and IV lung cancer patients who had RTW. Sociodemographic and clinical-related variables had an impact on RTW among employees with lung cancer. RTW was correlated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality and better lung cancer survival. Our study showed the influence of RTW and independent confounding factors in lung cancer survivorship.
| S-EPMC8744858 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study aimed to investigate factors affecting (1) women's media use regarding health-related behaviors during pregnancy and lactation, (2) women's preferences for media format, and (3) the content of media-based interventions on lifestyle-related risk factors during pregnancy and lactation. A cross-sectional observational multi-center study of pregnant and lactating women and women of childbearing age was carried out in 14 randomly selected obstetric and gynecologic care settings in the 12 most populated cities in Baden-Wuerttemberg, South-West Germany. Data from 219 surveyed women showed that older women, pregnant women, and lactating women have a higher probability of using media during pregnancy and lactation, respectively. The majority of women preferred a combination of analog and digital media-based interventions in gynecological (46.9%) and obstetric (47.1%) care settings and at home (73.0%). Women would like to see information brochures and flyers on health-related behaviors during pregnancy and lactation for use in gynecological and obstetric care settings, and for media use at home, they would like to have books. The probability of preferring the favored media formats in gynecological and obstetric care settings and at home were associated with pregnancy status, relationship status, socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, and health insurance status. About 80% of the surveyed women preferred media content regarding recommendations for a healthy lifestyle and healthy behavior during pregnancy and lactation. All of the independent variables were associated with the probability of preferring a specific media content. The SES was found to play a major role in the probability of preferring a specific media content, followed by pregnancy status, ethnicity, and health insurance status. The results from our study provide a basis for tailored preventive interventions in gynecological and obstetric care settings and for use at home. The results imply that a woman can be reached before conception, during pregnancy, or during lactation with preventive measures tailored to their requirements; however, acceptance may vary across personal attributes, such as SES, ethnicity, and others.
| S-EPMC8466324 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCaregiving for childhood cancer survivors may be burdensome for caregivers and affect their physical health and health behaviors. However, studies examining health behaviors in caregivers of childhood cancer survivors are scarce. This study aimed to examine health behaviors of caregivers of childhood cancer survivors by comparing them with those of the general population, and analyze associated factors.MethodsThis study included 326 caregivers of childhood cancer survivors recruited from 3 major hospitals in South Korea and 1304 controls from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey matched for age, sex, and education level. We compared health behaviors between the two groups by using conditional logistic regression analyses, and investigated factors associated with unhealthy behaviors in caregivers by using multiple logistic regression analyses.ResultsCaregivers were less likely to be physically inactive (aOR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.92) compared to controls, and this was more evident in women (aOR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.45, 0.94). However, caregivers were more likely to be binge drinkers (aOR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.73, 2.97), especially if they were men (aOR: 13.59, 95% CI: 8.09, 22.82). Factors associated with unhealthy behaviors in caregivers differed by the type of behavior. Current smoking risk was lower in female caregivers and in those with more comorbidities. Increasing age, female sex, higher education level, and lower household income were associated with lower risk of binge drinking. Higher household income and anxiety were associated with lower risk of physical inactivity, while depression was associated with higher risk of physical inactivity.ConclusionsCaregivers of childhood cancer survivors were more likely to engage in binge drinking, but less likely to be physically inactive. Strategies to promote adherence to desirable health behaviors in caregivers are needed with consideration of their socioeconomic and clinical factors, such as number of comorbidities.
| S-EPMC7140330 | biostudies-literature