Mental disorders, length of hospitalization, and psychopharmacy–New approaches to identify barriers to psychological support for patients with cancer

BACKGROUND: Despite abundant evidence that emotional distress is frequent in cancer patients and associated with adverse health outcomes, distress screening rates and adequate referrals to psychological support programs among those in need are insufficient in many cancer centers. We therefore aimed to analyze patient- and treatment-related barriers to distress screening and referrals to psychological support as a mandatory component of best-practice cancer care. METHOD: In the present explorative study, latent class analysis was used to identify homogeneous subgroups among 4837 patients diagnosed with cancer between 2011 and 2019. RESULTS: Four subgroups were identified. Patients with a mental disorder and psychopharmacology were least probable to be screened for distress. Together with patients aged 65 or older and male patients, they were also less likely to receive psychological support. Patients hospitalized for 28 days or longer were most likely to be both screened and to receive psychological support. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians and researchers are recommended not neglect patients with mental disorders and psychopharmacological treatment as well as male and elderly patients when screening for distress and providing access to psychological support.