NEED FOR SUPPORTIVE COUNSELING - THE PROFESSIONALS VERSUS THE PATIENTS PERSPECTIVE - A SURVEY IN A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF 236 MELANOMA PATIENTS

Background: The aim of the study was to identify melanoma patients who suffered significant distress and were judged to be in need of suppor tive counselling, on the one hand, and, on the other, to investigate p atient interest in such support. Methods: Out of 236 melanoma patients , who constitute a representative sample of melanoma patients in Weste rn Austria, 215 patients participated in the study and were assessed w ith regard to psychosocial distress, coping strategies, social network s and interest in receiving psychosocial support. Multiple logistic re gression analyses were performed with regard to patient interest in re ceiving psychosocial support either from the attending oncologist or f rom a mental health professional. Results: 65 patients (30.2%) experie nced moderate and 30 patients (14.0%) severe distress, which was predo minantly caused by tumour-related fears, tension and disturbance of em otional well-being. 83% of the severely distressed patients wanted psy chosocial support from their oncologists, whereas only half of them we re interested in additional support from a psychotherapist. In particu lar, patients who showed fear of tumour progression and felt that they were insufficiently informed about their disease preferred to consult their dermatologist for psychosocial support. On the other hand, pati ents with poor prognosis, receiving only low levels of support from th eir social network, and exhibiting a depressive coping style, showed i nterest in getting supplementary support from a psychotherapist. Concl usions: These findings underline the importance of educating oncologis ts with a view both to improve their communication skills and to help them identify patients making poor adjustment to illness in order to o ffer them appropriate emotional support.