Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify psychosomatic characteristics and issues concerning the assessment of psychosomatic state of cancer patients.

The subjects were 342 patients (251 cancer and 91 non cancer patients) and their nurses in 3 cancer and general hospitals in Japan.

Questionnaire 1 include 39 items derived from Johnson Behavioral system Model and 66 items from 3 Psychological Tests, in order to measure the present psychosomatic state of patients. Questionnaire 2 used Visual Analogue Scale to measure patients' psychosomatic state from the view point of Quality of Life. Answers of these two Questionnarires were written by patients. Questionnaire 3 included patients' informations concerning their psychosomatic state and etc., and was written by nurses.

The following results were obtained. (1) There were siginificant differences between cancer patients and non cancer patients in terms of characteristics of the psychosomatic state. (2) There was a significant difference between degrees of perceived pain by patients and evaluation of patients' pain by nurses. The result indicated the difference in the nurses' evaluation of patients' pain. (3) There were different characteristics between cancer patients who knew their diagnosis and who were uncertain about their diagnosis. Patients' awareness of diagnosis affected the perception of pain. Knowledge about the diagnosis influenced psychosomatic state of cancer patients. (4) There was a difference between cancer patients who had complaints and disires about their hospitalization and who did not have them. Patients' satisfaction with hospitalization influenced patients' psychosomatic state.