Psychology Commons^™

Patient Adherence To Medical Regimens: Toward A Contextual Understanding, Alan Christensen

Alan J. Christensen

No abstract provided.

Patient-Reported Factors Associated With Discontinuing Employment Following Head And Neck Cancer Treatment, Andrea Buckwalter, Lucy Karnell, Russell Smith, Alan Christensen, Gerry Funk

Alan J. Christensen

Objective To evaluate patients' reported reasons for discontinuing employment following treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC). Discontinuing employment is a serious problem for patients with HNC and has an impact on many aspects of their lives.

Design Prospective, observational outcomes study.

Setting Tertiary care institution.

Patients A total of 666 patients with carcinomas of the head and neck who were treated from January 1, 1998, to October 31, 2004.

Interventions Patients provided information about the status of their employment at the time of diagnosis and then at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after diagnosis. Patients who discontinued employment …

Health-Related Quality Of Life Profiles Based On Survivorship Status For Head And Neck Cancer Patients, David Goldstein, Lucy Karnell, Alan Christensen, Gerry Funk

Alan J. Christensen

Background. As the methodologies for evaluating health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in head and neck cancer patients have matured over the past 10 years, there has been an increasing focus on reporting longitudinal data. These studies have primarily focused on long-term survivors. This study addresses the HRQOL of both long-term and short-term survivors.

Methods. This is a prospective, longitudinal study of 479 head and neck cancer patients followed for at least 3 years after diagnosis. Analysis of longitudinally collected HRQOL scores was based on survivorship status.

Results. The HRQOL for 3 survivorship groups: short-term (died <1>year), intermediate-term (died 1-3 years), …

Influence Of Social Support On Health-Related Quality Of Life Outcomes In Head And Neck Cancer, Lucy Karnell, Alan Christensen, Eben Rosenthal, J Magnuson, Gerry Funk

Alan J. Christensen

Background. Evidence that social support influences health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in oncologic patients could be particularly important for head and neck cancer because this disease can affect speech, eating, and facial aesthetics.

Methods. Multiple regression analyses were used in this prospective, observational study to determine the association between 394 patients' ratings of perceived post-treatment social support and HRQOL outcomes while controlling for possible confounding variables.

Results. Higher social support scores were significantly associated with higher scores in speech (p = .007), aesthetics (p = .015), social disruption (p = .045), and general mental health (p = .016) and with …

A Longitudinal Examination Of Social Support, Agreeableness And Depressive Symptoms In Chronic Kidney Disease, Karin Hoth, Alan Christensen, Shawna Ehlers, Katherine Raichle, William Lawton

Alan J. Christensen

Research examining the role of social support in patient adjustment to chronic illness has been inconsistent suggesting that patient individual differences play a moderating role. This study examined the hypothesis that the relationship between social support and depressive symptoms would differ as a function of individual differences in trait Agreeableness. Fifty-nine patients with chronic kidney disease were assessed using the Social Provisions Scale, Beck Depression Inventory and NEO-Five-Factor Inventory and were followed-up a year and a half later. After controlling for baseline depressive symptoms and clinical characteristics, regression analyses revealed a significant interaction between social support and Agreeableness predicting change …