Anxiety and quality of life in young patients with leukemia and lymphomas: a preliminary report

Introduction : The idea of the quality of life includes many aspects of human’s life. It is connected with the way it functions in natural and social environment. Adolescence is the time of many changes in youth functioning but having sense of life is the essential condition of development and fulfillment. Leukemia and lymphomas are one of the most often types of cancers occurring at the age of adolescence. Fear, anxiety, long therapy, invasive treatment, painful surgeries and complications influence the feeling of life satisfaction of the ill youth. There were tests made to learn more about the dependence between pain, anxiety and the quality of life.

Material and methods : There were 30 young people tested at the age between 14-21. They were diagnosed with leukemia and lymphomas. In this test there was used the questionnaire to asses the quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) and the range of fear self-assessment by Zung.

Results : The analysis of the tests showed that the quality of life is lower among the youth being treated. The adolescents appraised the physical area as the least important and the social area as the most important. Most of them rather do not feel anxiety. People who cannot deal with pain, often have catastrophic thoughts.

Conclusions : The assessment of anxiety and its level in adolescents may be affected by defense mechanisms and responses to a disease, as well as by the selected methods and research measures. Lack of data pertaining to the assessment of negative emotional states may have important implications as far as therapeutic results and patients’ quality of life are concerned.