Anxiety and depression in cancer patients' spouses

The spouse has been identified as a primary source of support for patients in coping with cancer. Therefore, attention must be given to problems faced by the spouses. In this study, 120 spouses were asked to fill in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and a questionnaire containing 51 items. A response rate of 83% was obtained. Eighteen percent scored as cases on the anxiety dimension and 6% on the depression dimension. No differences were seen according to sex, age, patient's diagnosis, treatment and performance status. Significantly more spouses identified as cases regarding anxiety and depression had problems which they had never talked about, physical symptoms, or feelings of anger. Generally, the level of contact with family and friends was maintained, but the perception of support from family and friends was low. Only 23% sought professional support and only a fraction of the spouses identified as cases did so. Therefore the professional team must be aware of signals from spouses since help seeking does not seem to be part of their coping strategy.