Abstract
Objective: Considering that cases of brain tumor are increasing globally, addressing anxiety and depression in patients while coping with treatment-related adverse events is important. Hence, in this study, we aimed to test and compare the effectiveness of two types of interventions in patients with brain tumors who underwent craniotomy: (1) an occupation-based intervention designed with an occupational choice-decision support system and (2) an impairment-based intervention.
Methods: For this prospective parallel-group study, we screened 101 patients who underwent brain tumor resection during the study period; 59 patients were excluded because they did not meet the eligibility criteria (n = 40) or due to missing data (n = 19), and ultimately, 42 patients were included in the analysis. Propensity score matching to pair six cases from each group with a patient with similar background characteristics was performed. The duration of treatment was until discharge. Anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Results: The occupation-based intervention group showed a significant improvement in anxiety (p < 0.05). Depression was significantly worse after the intervention in a pre- and post-intervention comparison of the occupation-based intervention group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Implementing interventions and guidance targeting meaningful and instrumental activities of daily living based on clear goals that are aligned with patient expectations could influence the psychological state of patients at discharge from the hospital, reducing anxiety after discharge. The depressive symptoms may be influenced by the environment owing to the outbreak of the new coronavirus during the intervention period (UMIN Test ID: UMIN000043614).
