The Relationship Between Existential Anxiety and Demoralization Syndrome in Predicting Psychological Well-Being of Patient With Cancer

Objective: This study was done to investigate the relationship between existential anxiety and demoralization syndrome in predicting psychological well-being in patients with cancer. Methods: This correlational study was done on 57 patients with cancer (skin, breast, and stomach) aged 20-40 years, referring to hospitals in Ardabil selected by purposive sampling. The selected individuals completed the existential anxiety, demoralization syndrome, and psychological wellbeing questionnaires. To analyze the data, the stepwise regression analysis was used. Results: The results showed a significant negative correlation between the existential anxiety and predicting psychological well-being in patients with cancer (P 0.01) and also a significant negative correlation between demoralization syndrome and prediction of depression in patients with cancer (P 0.01). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, people facing life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer experience existential concerns, such as death anxiety, uncertainty, absurdity, and loneliness and the aim of psychotherapy and counseling interventions in these people is to create a supportive atmosphere that helps these patients to accept the disease, and consequently improve their mental health.