Suicidal Ideation in Newly-Diagnosed Chinese Cancer Patients

Yongfu Zhang; Wengao Li; Zijun Zhang; Hengwen Sun; Samradhvi Garg; Yuan Yang; Hongmei Wang

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00708

Suicidal Ideation in Newly-Diagnosed Chinese Cancer Patients

Front Psychiatry. 2020 Jul 23:11:708. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00708. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Yongfu Zhang¹, Wengao Li², Zijun Zhang³, Hengwen Sun⁴, Samradhvi Garg⁵, Yuan Yang², Hongmei Wang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Centre, Guangzhou, China.
² Department of Psychiatry, Southern Medical University Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou, China.
³ Social Work and Counselling Team, CNSST Foundation, Auckland, New Zealand.
⁴ Department of Radiotherapy, Cancer Center, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Guangzhou, China.
⁵ School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
⁶ Department of Radiation Oncology, Southern Medical University Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract

Objective: Suicide is one of the main reasons cited behind the death rate of cancer, and suicidal ideation (SI) is the first step toward it. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associates of suicidal ideation in newly-diagnosed Chinese cancer patients.

Methods: This multicenter study was conducted from January 2018 to September 2019. Eligible participants were asked to complete a Case Record Form (CRF), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7), Fear of Cancer Recurrence Questionnaire (FCRQ-7), and McGill Pain Questionnaire-Visual Analogue Scale (MPQ-VAS). Univariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted for assessment.

Results: Out of 603 patients, 91 (15.1%, 95%CI: 12.23%-17.96%) reported suicidal ideation in the last 2 weeks. Physical comorbidities (OR=1.808, P=0.039), childhood adversity experience (OR=5.999, P=0.001), cancer pain (OR=1.828, P=0.047), depression (OR=2.811, P=0.013), and anxiety (OR=6.532, P<0.001) were significantly associated with suicidal ideation. It was also found that patients who regularly exercised were less likely to report suicidal thoughts (OR=0.172, P=0.007).

Conclusion: Physical comorbidities, body ache, and mood disturbances are possible risk factors for suicidal ideation that warrant further attention in clinical practice. Preventive measures, such as systematic screening and arrangement for regular check-ups, could be beneficial to lower the risk of suicide.

Keywords: China; cancer; factors; prevalence; suicidal ideation.