Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression among Cervical Cancer Patients in Referral Hospitals in Western Kenya

Milkah Obwenyi Angachi, Ph.D., Candidate in Clinical Psychology; Lucy Njiru, Ph.D., Amref International University; & Wachira Muturi, Ph.D., Daystar University

Cervical cancer is common among women, second in prevalence and highest in cancer related mortality in Kenya. A cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment procedure may predispose patients to anxiety and depressive disorders. This study sought to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression among cervical cancer patients attending referral hospitals in Western Kenya. Data on prevalence of anxiety and depression was obtained using Becks Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory- II (BDI-II) respectively from 218 cervical cancer patients. With 95% confidence level and p-value of ≤ 0.05, bivariate, and univariate analysis were calculated. The study found that the prevalence of anxiety among cancer patients was 80.3% with anxiety prevalence significantly higher among participants aged 40-49 years at 29.8%. Prevalence of anxiety was also found to be relatively higher among participants with primary levels of education (46.8%); among those who indicated they were married (54.1%); and those who said they had received social support from family members (44.5%).  In regards to depression, the study showed that the prevalence of depression was at 67% among the participants with higher depression symptoms presented among participants aged 40-49 years (25.2%); participants with primary level education at 42.2%; and among married participants with depression symptoms at 42.7%. The distribution of depression symptoms was also higher among participants who received social support from family members at 36.2% as opposed to participants who received no social support at 21.6%. The high prevalence of anxiety and depression among patients diagnosed and undergoing treatment for cervical cancer calls for clinical mental health practitioners to consider psychological treatments for these patients.

Keywords: Prevalence, anxiety, depression, cervical cancer patients, hospital.