Demographic, clinical and psychosocial characteristics of inpatients with lung cancer*
| Characteristics | Total sample (n=148) | |
| n | % | |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 94 | 63.5 |
| Female | 54 | 36.5 |
| Marital status | ||
| Married | 140 | 94.6 |
| Never married | 1 | 0.7 |
| Separated/divorced | 5 | 3.4 |
| Widowed | 2 | 1.4 |
| Self-rated economic status | ||
| Poor | 54 | 36.5 |
| Fair | 81 | 54.7 |
| Good | 13 | 8.8 |
| Cancer staging | ||
| Metastatic | 38 | 25.7 |
| Not metastatic | 110 | 74.3 |
| Current treatment regimen | ||
| Chemotherapy | 135 | 91.2 |
| Radiotherapy | 8 | 5.4 |
| Surgery | 5 | 3.4 |
| Pathological type | ||
| Small cell | 32 | 21.6 |
| Non-small cell | 116 | 78.4 |
| Mean | SD | |
| Age (years) | 64.8 | 11.5 |
| Education (years) | 8.1 | 3.0 |
| Score of pain intensity | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Time since cancer diagnosis (months) | 24.9 | 18.4 |
| ECOG Scale score of performance status | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| Depressive symptoms: HADS-D score | 8.2 | 3.2 |
| Anxiety symptoms: HADS-A score | 7.8 | 3.2 |
| SSRS: objective social support score | 7.7 | 1.8 |
| SSRS: subjective social support score | 24.7 | 4.0 |
| SSRS: utilisation of social support score | 7.7 | 1.9 |
*Demographic factors included gender, age, education, marital status and self-rated economic status. Clinical factors included cancer stage, pathological type, pain intensity, time since the diagnosis of cancer, ECOG scale and current treatment regimen. Psychosocial factors included HADS-D, HADS-A and SSRS. In this study, the ECOG scale score ranged between 0 and 4: 1=restricted in physically strenuous activity but ambulatory and able to carry out work of a light or sedentary nature, for example, light house work, office work; 2=ambulatory and capable of all self-care but unable to carry out any work activities, up and about more than 50% of waking hours; 3=capable of only limited self-care, confined to bed or chair more than 50% of waking hours; 4=completely disabled, cannot carry on any self-care, totally confined to bed or chair.
ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; HADS-A, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety; HADS-D, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression; SSRS, Social Support Rating Scale.