Psychosocial distress and the preferred method of delivery of mind–body interventions among patients with head-and-neck cancer

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographics and clinical characteristics of participants (n=30)

Demographics/clinical characteristics		n	%
Race
	White	27	90
	Black or African-American	0
	Asian	1	3.3
	Other	1	3.3
	More than one race	1	3.3
Ethnicity
	Non-Hispanic	22	73.3
	Hispanic or Latino	6	20
	Total	28	93.3
Marital status
	Married	28	93.3
	Single	2	6.7
Work status
	Disability	1	3.3
	Full time	20	66.7
	Retired	6	20
	Unemployed	2	6.7
	Other	1	3.3
Annual income (US$)
	25,000–74,999	6	20
	75,000–99,999	11	36.7
	>100,000	9	30
	Missing	4	13.3
Type of cancer
	Larynx	3	10
	Oral	19	63.3
	Pharynx	4	13.3
	Tonsils	3	10
	Missing	1	3.3
Treatment type
	Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy	6	20
	Only radiation and chemotherapy	24	80
Difficulty swallowing
	No	14	46.7
	Yes	16	53.3
Feeding tube
	No	26	86.7
	Yes	4	13.3

Note: Frequencies not summing to 30 and percentages not summing to 100 indicate missing data.

Table 2 Symptoms among participants (n=30)

Symptoms	n	%
Depression
None	15	50
Some	15	50
Anxiety
None	18	60
Some	12	40
Sleep disturbances
None	14	46.7
Some	15	50
Missing	1	3.3

Notes: Frequencies not summing to 30 and percentages not summing to 100 indicate missing data. No anxiety and no depression included scores 0–7, and some anxiety and some depression included scores ≥8 on the HADS; no sleep disturbances included scores <5, and some sleep disturbances included scores >5 on the PSQI.

Abbreviations: HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; PSQI, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Table 3 MBSR variables among participants

MBSR variables	n	%
Interest
None	11	36.7
Some	19	63.3
Setting
Alone	8	42.1
With other cancer survivors	11	57.9
No preference	0
Location
At home	10	52.6
In a hospital/clinical setting	6	31.6
No preference	1	5.3
Initiation of program
After diagnosis, but before treatment starts	8	42.1
During treatment	6	31.6
3–6 months after treatment	4	21.1
6–12 months after treatment	1	5.2
Use prior to diagnosis of meditation, guided imagery, or progressive relaxation
Yes	6	20
No	24	80
Prior to diagnosis of mantra meditation
Yes	2	6.7
No	28	93.3
Prior to diagnosis of mindfulness meditation
Yes	2	6.7
No	8	26.7
Don’t know	19	63.3
Missing	1	3.3
Prior to diagnosis of spiritual meditation
Yes	4	13.3
No	26	86.7
Prior to diagnosis of guided imagery
Yes	3	13.3
No	27	90

Notes: Frequencies not summing to 30 and percentages not summing to 100 indicate missing data; “some” interest based on a score of ≥2.

Abbreviation: MBSR, mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Table 4 Relationships among anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances by MBSR interest (n=30)

Symptoms	n	$\overline{\mathbf{x}}$	SD	t	P
Anxiety				0.35	0.73
No interest	11	7.45	3.83
Some interest	19	7	3.22
Depression				−1.29	0.208
No interest	11	6.09	3.15
Some interest	19	7.63	3.17
Sleep disturbances				–0.22	0.829
No interest	11	11	5.59
Some interest	19	11.39	4.02

Abbreviation: MBSR, mindfulness-based stress reduction.

Table 5 Cross-tabulation of relationships among clinical variables, symptoms, and MBSR interest (n=30)

Clinical variables/symptoms	No interest		Some interest		χ^2	P	Cramer’s V
	n	%	n	%
HNC type					2.23	0.526	0.277
Larynx	0		3	15.8
Oral	8	80	11	57.9
Pharynx	1	10	3	15.8
Tonsils	1	10	2	10.5
Feeding tube					2.67	0.102	0.298
No	11	100	15	78.9
Yes	0		4	21.1
Difficulty swallowing					0.01	0.919	0.018
No	5	45.5	9	47.4
Yes	6	54.5	10	52.6
Anxiety					0.22	00.643	0.085
None	6	54.5	12	63.2
Some	5	45.5	7	36.8
Depression					0.14	0.705	0.069
None	6	54.5	9	47.4
Some	5	45.5	10	52.6
Sleep disturbances					0.28	0.597	0.098
None	6	54.5	8	44.4
Some	5	45.5	10	55.6
Treatment					7.03	0.008	0.484
Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy	5	45.5	1	5.3
Only radiation and chemotherapy	6	54.5	18	94.7

Abbreviations: MBSR, mindfulness-based stress reduction; HNC, head-and-neck cancer.