Financial stress by cancer triples the possibility of suffering depression

Cancer places a financial and economic burden on individuals in countries without free health service, but relatively little is known about the consequences. A research group from the National Cancer Registry from Ireland and the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) from Barcelona has demonstrated that cancer-related financial stress and strain were consistently associated with increased risk of adverse psychological outcomes.

These findings provide further rationale for initiatives to alleviate the financial burden of cancer in countries like Ireland where not all the population have access to free public health service.

The results, published in the Psycho-Oncology journal , indicate that almost 50% of people who participated in the study experienced increased financial stress (impact of cancer diagnosis on household ability to make ends meet) and 32% experienced increased financial strain (concern about their household’s financial situation since their cancer diagnosis) due to cancer. Depression, anxiety and distress were present in: 36%, 29% and 29%, respectively (any severity); and 14%, 13% and 13%, respectively (from severe to worse). Depression risk was raised threefold in those reporting increased cancer-related financial stress and increased cancer-related financial strain. For severe depression, the risk estimates were more pronounced. Similar associations were found for anxiety and distress.

Ms. Anne-Elie Carsin, CREAL researcher who participates in the study, said that “patients, not only, undergo additional financial stress and strain directly related to their cancer but also, these financial difficulties seem to cause an increase of depression, anxiety and distress.”

Now these researchers are studying whether there are similar patterns in other cancers and whether cancer related financial stress and strain is associated with other outcomes in patients such as health related quality of life.

Funded by a grant from the Irish Cancer Society.