Mental health services utilization and expenditures associated with cancer survivorship in the United States

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Cancer Surviv
• Personal Author:
  Li, Chunyu ; Li, Chenghui ; Forsythe, Laura ; Lerro, Catherine ; Soni, Anita
• Description:
  Purpose ; The aim of this study is to assess mental health services utilization and expenditures associated with cancer history using a nationally representative sample in the US. ; Methods ; We used data from the 2008–2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and multivariate regression models to assess mental health services use and expenditures among cancer survivors compared to individuals without a cancer history, stratified by age (18–64 and ≥65 years) and time since diagnosis (≤1 vs. >1 year). ; Results ; Among adults aged 18–64, compared with individuals without a cancer history, cancer survivors were more likely to screen positive for current psychological distress and depression regardless of time since diagnosis; survivors diagnosed >1 year ago were more likely to use mental health prescription drugs; those diagnosed within 1 year reported significantly lower annual per capita mental health drug expenditure and out-of-pocket mental health expenditure, while those diagnosed >1 year presented significantly higher annual per capita mental health expenditure. No significant differences in mental health expenditures were found among adults aged 65 or older. ; Conclusions ; Mental health problems presented higher health and economic burden among younger and longer-term survivors than individuals without a cancer history. This study provides data for monitoring the impact of initiatives to enhance coverage and access for mental health services at the national level. ; Implications for cancer survivors ; Early detection and appropriate treatment of mental health problems may help improve quality of cancer survivorship.
• Keywords:
  • Cancer
  • Mental health
  • Utilization
  • Expenditures
  • Prescription drug
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  More +
• Source:
  J Cancer Surviv. 2014; 9(1):50-58
• Pubmed ID:
  25108481
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4492105
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  9
• Issue:
  1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/32020/cdc_32020_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 253.38 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:9334a236c8fdb8d4e14665eb126812b64f51313089db816c45c0ce89bab6eb56