Poster Presentation 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

Maumivu ya Kimya (meaning “silent pain” in Swahili): Psychological Distress Among Newly Diagnosed Patients with Cervical Cancer at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (125683)

Violet Amondi 1 , Kapten Muthoka 2 , Antony Ngeresa 2 , Benson Gakinya 1 , Susan Cu-Uvin 3 , Peter Itsura 4 , Philip Tonui 4
  1. Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Moi University, College of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Eldoret, Kenya
  2. Academic Model Providing Access to Health Care, Eldoret, Kenya
  3. Department of Medicine and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Miriam Hospital/Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Rode Island, United States of America
  4. Department of Reproductive Health, Gynecologic Oncologists, Moi University, College of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Eldoret, Kenya

Background: Africa reports over 120,000 new cases of cervical cancer annually, accounting for 20% of the global burden. In Kenya, cervical cancer accounts for 21.1% of all female cancers and has the highest mortality rate in Eastern Africa (16.4%). It is often diagnosed at advanced stages. Cancer diagnosis and its treatment cause significant psychological distress, including anxiety and depression. It is essential to assess the psychological impact of cervical cancer and identify associated factors, such as disease stage, to improve patient outcomes and to advocate for increase in mental health support for these patients.

Materials and Methods: This is an interim analysis of a cross-sectional, quantitative study of 152 patients with new (0-3months) histological diagnosis of cervical cancer at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). Recruitment began in July 2024 at the gynecologic-oncology outpatient clinic. Demographic and medical data was collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire and anxiety and depression levels were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Descriptive statistics summarized continuous data (means, percentages and standard deviations) and bi-variate analysis examined the association between cancer stage and psychological symptoms.

Results: A total of 119 participants were included in the analysis. The mean age was 50 years (SD=10.9, range 30-77). The HADS-anxiety scores: normal 50.4%(n=60), mild 19.3% (n=23), moderate 21.0% (n=25) and severe 9.2% (n=11). HADS-depression scores: normal 47.9% (n=57), mild 28.6% (n=34) moderate 16.8% (n=20) and severe 6.7% (n=8). Advanced cancer stage (III and IV) was significantly associated with increased anxiety levels (χ² = 19.09, p = 0.024) and depression levels (χ² = 22.84, p = 0.007).

Conclusion: Psychological distress is significantly associated with cancer stage. These findings highlight the need for routine mental health screening and support as part of cervical cancer care, especially at the point of diagnosis, a frequently disregarded component in cancer treatment.