Anxiety, Distress and Relationship Quality Among Men With Low-Risk Prostate Cancer on Active Surveillance or Active Treatment
Abstract
Active surveillance (AS) is a medically viable management alternative to curative interventions (i.e. surgery, radiation) for men with low-risk localized prostate cancer that has gained considerable attention in the past few decades, particularly due to its more favorable physical and sexual side-effect profile and minimally invasive approach. While prior psychological research within this population has focused on anxiety among men on AS, few studies have examined distress more generally, and even less is known about the impact of AS on relationship quality. Furthermore, longitudinal analyses of these constructs among men on AS and how they compare to men receiving active treatment (AT) are lacking. The present study aimed to address these shortcomings in the literature by examining prostate cancer-specific anxiety, distress, relationship quality, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and sexual quality of life (SQOL) between men on AS and AT at the time of treatment decision and every 6 months thereafter for two years. Participants included 143 men on AS and 45 receiving AT. Results indicated that men on AS experienced better relationship quality, HRQOL, SQOL and distress than men on AT, although no clinically significant differences in PC-related anxiety were identified. HRQOL worsened slightly while anxiety, distress, relationship quality, and SQOL either remained stable or improved over time among men on AS. Thus, results suggest long-term management with AS is not psychologically harmful and may be preferable to AT among men who are medically eligible for active surveillance.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Social psychology|Oncology
Recommended Citation
Polacek, Laura Christine, "Anxiety, Distress and Relationship Quality Among Men With Low-Risk Prostate Cancer on Active Surveillance or Active Treatment" (2019). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI22587902.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI22587902
