PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY AND ASSOCIATED SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AMONG THE PATIENTS OF HEAD AND NECK TUMORS

Abstract

Objective: To determine the psychiatric morbidity among the patients of head and neck tumors and analyze the factors associated with the presence of psychiatric morbidity.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZAMBU) Pakistan. Six months from May 2017 to Nov 2017.

Subjects and Methods: The sample population comprised of 170 patients of head and neck tumors reporting in the outpatient department (OPD) or admitted in the wards at a tertiary care hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Psychiatric morbidity among these patients was assessed by using the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ- 12). Relationship of the age, gender, marital status, surgical resection performed, and tumor stage was studied with the presence of psychiatric morbidity among these patients suffering from the head and neck tumors.

Results: A total of 170 patients of head and neck tumors were screened through the General Health Questionnaire which were included in the final analysis. Out of these 108 (63.5%) had presence of psychiatric morbidity on GHQ-12 while 62 (36.5%) had no psychiatric morbidity. With logistic regression we found that surgical procedure performed and advanced stage of tumor had significant association with the presence of psychiatric morbidity among the patients of head and neck tumors.

Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among the patients of head and neck tumors in our population. Special attention should be paid to timely assess the mental health problems among the patients who have been treated surgically or are at an advance stage of the disease.