Background: Breast cancer causes significant psychological and physical burden, with survivors often reporting persistent psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, along with somatic symptoms like fatigue and pain. Psychological factors may protect from the development of long-term distress and help identify patients with greater needs for supervision and/or care. Here we aimed to study the predic...
Objective: To determine the efficacy of a 12-week individual cogni-tive stimulation (iCS) intervention on global cognition, memory,and executive function of older adults with mild to moderateAlzheimer’s disease (AD). Method: Protocolized analysis using datafrom a multicenter, single-blind, randomized, parallel two-arm RCTof iCS for older adults with probable AD. A sample of 142 peoplewith probable Alzheimer’s d...
Background: A diagnosis of cancer, and the resulting treatment process, can be perceived as a life-threatening event, affecting not only patients but also their social network and, more specifically, their relatives. While the ability to cope and adjust to difficult health situations may be challenging, family resilience may optimize a positive adaptation to adversity and contribute to enhance the patient’s qua...
Background/Objective: Screening for depression in patients with cancer can be difficult due to overlap between symptoms of depression and cancer. We assessed validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) in this population. Method: Data was obtained in an outpatient neuropsychiatry unit treating patients with and without cancer. Psychometric properties of the BDI-II Portuguese version were assessed separat...
Objective:This study aimed to described istinct trajectories of anxiety/depression symptoms and overall health status/quality of life over a period of 18 months followinga breast cancer diagnosis,and identify the medical, socio-demographic,lifestyle, and psychologica lfactors that predict these trajectories.Methods:474 females (mean age=55.79 years) were enrolled in the first weeksafter surgery or biopsy. Data ...
Background: Despite the continued progress of medicine, dealing with breast cancer is becoming a major socioeconomic challenge, particularly due to its increasing incidence. The ability to better manage and adapt to the entire care process depends not only on the type of cancer but also on the patient’s sociodemographic and psychological characteristics as well as on the social environment in which a person liv...
Background: Depression is a common condition among cancer patients, across several points in the disease trajec‑ tory. Although presenting higher prevalence rates than the general population, it is often not reported or remains unnoticed. Moreover, somatic symptoms of depression are common in the oncological context and should not be dismissed as a general symptom of cancer. It becomes even more challenging to ...