The presence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in cancer survivors and its impact on health-related quality of life: A cross-sectional study

Aims: Cancer diagnosis constitutes a major stressor which challenges patients' physical, emotional and social resources. Several investigations have revealed that cancer survivors commonly report symptoms of cancer-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which may continue to interfere with patients' functioning even at disease-free periods. The primary aim of the current single-center cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of PTSD in a group of cancer survivors. A secondary aim was to detect any associations between PTSD diagnosis and patients' health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods: PTSD diagnosis was established by a qualified psychiatrist with the use of the PTSD sheet of the Mini International Neuropsychiatry Interview 5.0. HRQOL was assessed with the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Results: 121 individuals (89 females) were enrolled to the study. PTSD was diagnosed in 31 (25.6%) participants. Female gender and younger age were significantly associated with greatest PTSD prevalence (p=0.014 and p=0.002, respectively). No other demographic or clinical characteristic was associated with PTSD. Participants with PTSD reported more severe depression (p