The psychological impact of adult-onset craniopharyngioma: A qualitative study of the experience of patients and clinicians

Daughters, Katie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5889-8464, Unwin, Katy and Rees, D. Aled ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1165-9092 2023. The psychological impact of adult-onset craniopharyngioma: A qualitative study of the experience of patients and clinicians. European Journal of Oncology Nursing 65 , 102346. 10.1016/j.ejon.2023.102346

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Abstract

Purpose Individuals who experience social and emotional difficulties struggle to maintain successful social relationships and incur an increased risk of developing mood disorders. These, in turn, have a significant impact on psychological and physical wellbeing. A small number of medical studies suggest that patients with adult-onset craniopharyngioma (AoC) report poorer quality of life, however, no in-depth psychological research has been carried out. The present study aimed to capture a rich understanding of whether patients with AoC experience a psychological impact from their diagnosis and whether psychological factors may contribute to a poorer quality of life. Method Both patients with AoC and clinicians with experience of working with patients with AoC were invited to take part in a semi-structured interview. Participants were recruited from three geographically disperse National Health Service (NHS) units across the United Kingdom (UK). Eight patients and 10 clinicians took part in the study. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Two key themes, with multiple subthemes, were identified: 1) Patients experience psychological impacts of AoC; and 2) Patients also experience common physical symptoms. Conclusions Patients and clinicians recognised significant psychological impact as a result of AoC, and these impacts contributed to overall poorer quality of life. Crucially, both parties also felt that further research into psychological impact of AoC was both interesting and useful.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG) Medicine Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI)
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1462-3889
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	23 August 2023
Date of Acceptance:	29 April 2023
Last Modified:	27 Feb 2024 12:34
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/162004

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