Psihološki status i percepcija bolesti u bolesnika s melanomom

Melanoma is a malignant tumour of melanocytes. One of the major avoidable risk factors for melanoma is UV protection which makes appropriate sun protection extremely important. Melanoma is a serious illness with potential intensive influence on the patient’s quality of life and psychological state. In total, 240 participants were included in this study: 120 patients suffering from melanoma and 120 participants in the control group. Melanoma patients were divided into two groups: patients with melanoma thinner than, and thicker than 1 mm Breslow thickness. Following questionnaires were used in this study: General data questionnaire, Sun behaviours questionnaire and Brief Illness perceptions questionnaire for all participants, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire, Subjective quality of life, Becks Depression Index, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Negative life events scale, Coping with stress questionnaire and Eysencks personality questionnaire for melanoma patients only. The aims of this study encompassed risk factors for melanoma, sun behaviour patterns and perception of melanoma among all participants and comparison of their results. Quality of life and psychological characteristics of melanoma patients were also investigated, and results of patients with melanoma less and over 1 mm Breslow thickness were compared. Finally, the aim was to investigate significant predictors of quality of life. Patients in this group showed responsible sun behaviour patterns, but with significant differences between melanoma and control group. Patients suffering from melanoma spend less time in the sun, are more careful about using sun protection and have a milder perception of melanoma than the control group. In the melanoma group there are more fair tanned people, more people with more than 50 moles and with more sunburn during childhood. Patients suffering from melanoma have high quality of life and melanoma has a mild influence on their quality of life. On average, patients with melanoma have low anxiety and depression scores, but 30% of patients were highly anxious and 7% of them were depressed. Another chronic illness, non cancer stress, personality traits, coping and illness perceptions were all significant predictors of subjective quality of life, with more than 93% of the QoL variance explained