Anxiety and depression among cancer survivors: The role of engagement with sources of emotional support information

Background: Anxiety and depression occur commonly among cancer survivors. This study explores the prevalence and effects of cancer survivors' engagement with sources of information about emotional support (i.e., healthcare providers, interpersonal sources, and the media) on these psychological outcomes over time. Methods: Respondents with colorectal, breast, or prostate cancers (n=1,128) were surveyed over three years following cancer diagnosis. Using lagged logistic regression analyses, we predicted the odds of experiencing anxiety or depression from earlier information engagement with sources of emotional support, adjusting for prior symptoms and other potential confounders. In addition, among those who reported anxiety and depression (n=476), we assessed the degree to which such information engagement impacts symptom severity. Results: Participants reported talking with doctors more frequently (23.8%) than seeking or scanning from interpersonal and media sources about obtaining emotional support (9.5-16.1%). Both discussions with physicians and scanning from media sources increased the odds of subsequent reports of anxiety and depression (OR= 1.58; 95% CI: 1.06-2.35, and OR=1.72; CI: 1.03-2.33, respectively), adjusting for other information sources and confounders, including prior reports of anxiety or depression. However, among those reporting symptoms, discussion with physicians reduced the degree to which these symptoms interfered with daily activities (B = -.198; p = .047). Conclusion: Cancer survivors reported engaging with a wide variety of information sources about obtaining emotional support for dealing with their cancers. Discussing emotional support with physicians may assist survivors in identifying and coping with psychological symptoms at earlier stages and minimize their impact on cancer survivors' daily lives.