Associations between Depression, Anxiety, Hostility and Fighting Spirit among Cancer Patients in a Cancer Center in Korea

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between depression, anxiety, hostility and fighting spirit among patients with stomach, colorectal or breast cancer. Materials and Methods: 223 patients, diagnosed as with stomach, colorectal or breast cancer, undergoing chemotherapy or follow up care, were the subjects of the study. The study design was cross-sectional at the time of the survey. The degrees of depression, anxiety and hostility of the patients were assessed by the SCL-90-R scores, and the fighting spirit was measured by the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale score. Results: The scores of anxiety and hostility of the patients at younger age were higher than those at older age (p＜0.01). The patients with metastasis were more depressed than those without it (p＜0.01). There was a negative association between depression and fighting spirit (p＜0.001). Conclusion: The study showed the more depressed cancer patients had lower fighting spirit score, which was known to be one of the most active psychosocial contributorsin adjusting to cancer and survival.