Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract Purpose Cancer survivors encounter significant psychological suffering throughout their survivorship, and are prone to develop depressive symptoms. While work contributes to getting personal fulfillment and social connections with resilience against these adversities, some cancer survivors find it challenging to maintain employment. This research aimed to identify the association between changes in work and depressive symptoms among cancer survivors in Korea, to emphasize the importance of support in their employment and to prevent depressive symptoms. Methods This study used the panel data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA) and included 166 cancer survivors(656 observations) between 2005 and 2018, aged 65 or younger. Changes in work were categorized as continuous unemployment or employment, quitting a job, and getting a job. The presence of depressive symptoms was defined using CES-D-10 and a multivariable generalized estimating equation(GEE) was employed to estimate the odds ratio(OR). Results For depressive symptoms, the OR of the continuous unemployment group was 3.28(95% CI = 1.24–8.71), and the OR of the group quitting a job was 2.53(95% CI = 1.00–6.38), compared to the continuous employment group. In addition, as survivorship increased, the odds of depressive symptoms decreased(OR = 0.91, 95%CI = 0.84–0.98). Conclusions Cancer survivors who quit a job or continued unemployment were more likely to get depressive symptoms, and the acute survivor stage was also associated. Assistance for continuing work or preparing alternative employment for cancer survivors can enhance resilience, lowering the risk of depressive symptoms. Psychological care is crucial, particularly post or under primary cancer treatment period.
Lee et al. (Wed,) studied this question.