Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T20:48:47.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Victims of physical abuse among patients with cancer referred to psychiatric clinic in a cancer center hospital: A pilot study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2005

HIDEKI ONISHI ,
MOTONORI SAIRENJI ,
KOSUKE YAMASHITA ,
SHIRABE SHIMIZU ,
MASANARI ONOSE ,
YASUHIRO MIZUNO  and
CHIAKI KAWANISHI
HIDEKI ONISHI
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Asahi-ku, Yokohama, Japan
MOTONORI SAIRENJI
Affiliation:
Department of Surgery, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Asahi-ku, Yokohama, Japan
KOSUKE YAMASHITA
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Asahi-ku, Yokohama, Japan
SHIRABE SHIMIZU
Affiliation:
Department of Plastic Surgery, Kanagawa Cancer Center, Asahi-ku, Yokohama, Japan
MASANARI ONOSE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan
YASUHIRO MIZUNO
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan
CHIAKI KAWANISHI
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective: Physical abuse is one of the most important public health problems, but little is known about physical abuse of cancer patients. The objects of this study are (1) to identify whether cancer patients have sustained physical abuse; (2) to explore clinical characteristics of the abused patients.

Methods: We reviewed 584 cancer patients referred to our psychiatry clinic by a cancer center hospital and investigated whether there were victims of physical abuse among these patients. We also investigated psychiatric characteristics of the abused patients.

Results: Of these 584 patients, three patients were recognized as victims of physical abuse at the time of referral. The perpetrator of physical abuse was their husband (domestic violence) in all three cases. All three patients had sustained physical abuse from their husbands for years before being diagnosed with cancer. In addition to physical abuse, all three patients had sustained emotional abuse (e.g., threat or intimidation) from their husbands. Psychiatric diagnoses of all three patients fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the traumatic event was mainly physical abuse by their husbands.

Significance of results: Oncologists and psychiatrists should pay greater attention to the psychosocial and environmental problems of cancer patients and inquire about the presence of physical abuse in suspected cases. Medical staff should also know that early multidisciplinary interventions in addition to cancer treatments are needed for victims of physical abuse among cancer patients and that these interventions are necessary to improve compliance with treatment and proper decision making.

Keywords

Physical abuseDomestic violenceCancer
Type
Research Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , March 2005 , pp. 39 - 42
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abbott, J., Johnson, R., Koziol-McLain, J., et al. (1995). Domestic violence against women. Incidence and prevalence in an emergency department population. Journal of the American Medical Association, 273, 1763–1767.Google Scholar
Acierno, R., Resnick, H.S., & Kilpatrick, D.G. (1997). Health impact of interpersonal violence. 1: Prevalence rates, case identification, and risk factors for sexual assault, physical assault, and domestic violence in men and women. Behavioral Medicine, 23, 53–64.Google Scholar
Akechi, T., Kugaya, A., Okamura, H., et al. (1998a). Predictive factors for psychological distress in ambulatory lung cancer patients. Supportive Care in Cancer, 6, 281–286.Google Scholar
Akechi, T., Okamura, H., Yamawaki, S., et al. (1998b). Predictors of patients' mental adjustment to cancer: Patient characteristics and social support. British Journal of Cancer, 77, 2381–2385.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
Bessel, A. (1995). Physical and sexual abuse of adults. In Textbook of Psychiatry, 6th edition, Kaplan H.I. & Sadock, B.J. (eds.), pp. 2002–2008. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins.
Derogatis, L.R., Morrow, G.R., Fetting, J., et al. (1983). The prevalence of psychiatric disorders among cancer patients. Journal of the American Medical Association, 249, 751–757.Google Scholar
Finley-Jones, R.A. (1989). Life Events and Illness, Brown, G.W. & Harris, T.O. (eds.). pp. 95–112. London: Fuilford Press.
Goldberg, W.G. & Tomlanovich, M.C. (1984). Domestic violence victims in the emergency department. New findings. Journal of the American Medical Association, 251, 3259–3264.Google Scholar
Kilpatrick, D.G., Resnick, H.S., & Acierno, R. (1997). Health impact of interpersonal violence. 3: Implications for clinical practice and public policy. Behavioral Medicine, 23, 79–85.Google Scholar
Kinston, W. & Rosser, R. (1974). Disaster: Effects on mental and physical state. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 18, 437–456.Google Scholar
Marwick, C. (1994). Health and justice professionals set goals to lessen domestic violence. Journal of the American Medical Association, 271, 1147–1148.Google Scholar
Minagawa, H., Uchitomi, Y., Yamawaki, S., et al. (1996). Psychiatric morbidity in terminally ill cancer patients. Cancer, 76, 1131–1137.Google Scholar
Onishi, H., Miyashita, A., & Kosaka, K. (2000). Manic episode associated with bereavement in a patient with lung cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer, 8, 339–340.Google Scholar
Onishi, H., Onose, M., Yamada, T., et al. (2003). Brief psychotic disorder associated with bereavement in a patient with terminal stage uterine cervical cancer: A case report and review of the literature. Supportive Care in Cancer, 11, 491–493.Google Scholar
Resnick, H.S., Acierno, R., & Kilpatrick, D.G. (1997). Health impact of interpersonal violence. 2: Medical and mental health outcomes. Behavioral Medicine, 23, 65–78.Google Scholar
Stark, E. & Flitcraft, A. (1988). Violence among intimates: An epidemiologic review. In Handbook of Family Violence, Van Hasselt, V.B., Morrison, R.L., Bellack, A.S. & Hersen, M. (eds.). pp. 293–314. New York: Plenum Press.
Thompson, M.P., Kaslow, N.J., Kingree, J.B., et al. (1999). Partner abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder as risk factors for suicide attempts in a sample of low-income, inner-city women. Journal of Trauma and Stress, 12, 59–72.Google Scholar
Watson, M., Greer, S., Rowden, L., et al. (1991). Relationships between emotional control, adjustment to cancer and depression and anxiety in breast cancer patients. Psychological Medicine, 21, 51–57.Google Scholar