Quality of life and its socio-demographic and psychological determinants after bone marrow transplantation.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: A host of medical, socio-demographic, and psychological factors that affect bone marrow transplantation (BMT) patients' quality of life (QOL) have been identified, but due to the methodological diversity of the studies, the findings have been contradictory. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of somatic status, social characteristics, and psychological symptoms on QOL in BMT patients. METHODS: The study had a cross-sectional design. QOL was evaluated using the Hungarian version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplant (FACT-BMT) scale. Anxiety and depression were assessed using Spielberger's State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (SSTAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). A questionnaire designed for the study was used to record socio-demographic variables. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-one patients formed the study sample. Patients' QOL was better in our sample than in another study with similar mean time after BMT. BDI scores indicated mild depression; SSTAI scores corresponded with healthy population levels. QOL was strongly influenced by psychological symptoms (depression P < 0.001; anxiety P = 0.001; psychiatric comorbidity P = 0.001), employment status (P = 0.042), and gender (P = 0.05). The somatic factors influenced only separate aspects of QOL; somatic comorbidity only affected cancer-associated QOL (P = 0.004). CONCLUSION: This is the first study on a Hungarian BMT sample that included economic factors in the assessment of QOL. Psychological variables were the strongest determinants of QOL in this study.