Mental Health Care for Cancer Patients, Their Families and Nurses in China: A Review
Hatsumi Yoshii *
Department of Health Sciences, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan.
Fumiko Kikuchi
Department of Health Sciences, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan.
Kang Lin
Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, China.
li Jingge
Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, China.
Kouhei Akazawa
Department of Medical Informatics and Statistics, Niigata University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
Hidemitsu Saito
Department of Health Sciences, Tohoku University, Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to understand the characteristics of mental health care for cancer patients, their families, and nurses in China. We searched for relevant studies published in English since 2004 using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cinahl, finding 14 studies that examined mental health care for cancer patients, their families, and nurses in China. Concerning the psychology of cancer patients in China, these studies included significant coverage of emotional disclosure, self-care self-efficacy, posttraumatic growth, health-related quality of life, distress level, mental adjustment, emotional control, and anxiety. The studies also included the psychiatric symptoms and mental health care of cancer patients in China, covering topics such as sleep, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and supportive care. We were unable to find any studies about cancer patients’ families or caregivers. In addition, the studies included research on cancer nurses but not on ‘mental health care for cancer patients by nurses’. The results of the present study show that research on cancer patients’ families and nurses in China must be urgently promoted.
Keywords: Cancer, China, mental health care.