Abstract
Purpose: Survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer experience psychological distress and insufficient access to mental health care. Few studies have investigated racial/ethnic disparities in psychological health outcomes in this population. This study compared psychological distress, mental health care use, and inability to afford mental health care between Hispanic/Latino survivors of AYA cancer and Hispanic/Latino controls. Methods: The National Health Interview Survey data (2010–2018) were analyzed to identify Hispanic/Latino survivors of AYA cancer and Hispanic/Latino age- and sex-matched non-cancer controls. Sociodemographic, chronic health, modifiable factors, and psychological outcomes were compared using chi-square tests. Logistic regression models with survey weights were used to assess the log-odds of psychological distress in relation to covariates, along with the cancer group. Interactions were evaluated between each variable and cancer group. Results: The study included 370 Hispanic/Latino survivors of AYA cancer (mean time since diagnosis = 12.34 years) and 3700 Hispanic/Latino controls. Compared to controls, survivors were more likely to report moderate/severe distress (OR = 2.23, p < 0.001), use of mental health care (OR = 2.11, p < 0.001) and inability to afford mental health care (OR = 3.05, p < 0.001). Forty-one percent of survivors reported moderate/severe distress and only 16% utilized mental health care. Among survivors, having more than two chronic health conditions and public insurance (compared to private insurance) were associated with the presence of moderate/severe distress. Among survivors experiencing moderate/severe distress, lack of insurance was associated with decreased utilization of mental health care. Conclusions: Having cancer as an AYA may exacerbate disparities in psychological health within the Hispanic/Latino population.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1918-1929 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Psycho-oncology |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2023 |
Keywords
- AYA
- Hispanic/Latino
- adolescent and young adult
- cancer survivors
- disparities
- mental health care
- psychological distress
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
- Oncology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
MD Anderson CCSG core facilities
- Biostatistics Resource Group