Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Process on Oncology Patients

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected the world as an important health problem for the past 2 years, has brought about high morbidity and mortality rates for cancer patients, and therefore, cancer patients have been defined as a vulnerable group in terms of the pandemic. With the rapid spread of COVID-19, many cancer patients had difficulty in accessing health services, were faced with the postponement or delay of their treatment and controls, or postponed their applications to health institutions for fear of COVID-19. As a result of the research, during this period, it was observed that the incidence of anxiety and depression increased in cancer patients and they experienced high levels of fear and distress associated with COVID-19. Among the main sources of these psychological problems are concerns about not being able to access health services, information needs, and problems related to caring, as well as fear of coronavirus sensitivity, difficulty tolerating uncertainty, and feeling lonely in relation to living socially isolated come to the fore. Understanding the psychological effect of COVID-19 on cancer patients can assist in planning care and meeting the psychological support needs of cancer patients during future crises.