PB2284 PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN PATIENTS WITH HEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES: PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS

Background: The diagnosis of hematological malignancy (HM) is associated with psychological suffering for patients who graft on their physical suffering. Psychological distress (PD) affects patient's quality of life and their ability to adhere to treatment. Aims: The exact prevalence of this event among patients with HM is not well specified. In this work, it is proposed to determine the prevalence of PD in patients with HM and the factors predicting its occurrence. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study that included 100 patients with HM followed in 2 Clinical Hematology departments in Tunis between 2010 and 2017. The DP was explored by the Distress Thermometer Scale (DTS) and by the validated Arabic version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: PD was detected in 40 patients byDTS and 43 patients by HADS. 18 patients had an anxiety disorder alone, 5 patients had depressive disorder alone and 18 had concurrent anxiety and depression. DTS was significantly correlated with the global HADS, HADS‐depression and HADS‐Anxiety. In multivariate analysis, the associated comorbidities, the governorate of residence and the lack of complete response after treatment were predictive of PD occurrence. Summary/Conclusion: This study has shown a high prevalence of PD among patients with HM. Tunisian hematologists need to know how to detect these disorders as early intervention enhance their psychological wellbeing and improve their disease outcome.