Brian D Gonzalez

Publications (2)9.12 Total impact

• Source

  Available from: usf.edu

  Article: Depression in lung cancer patients: the role of perceived stigma.

  Brian D Gonzalez, Paul B Jacobsen
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  ABSTRACT: Previous research has shown that lung cancer patients are at an increased risk for depressive symptomatology; however, little is known about the factors contributing to depression in these patients. This study focused on the possible association between perceived stigma related to a lung cancer diagnosis and depressive symptomatology. It was hypothesized that greater perceived stigma would be related to greater depressive symptomatology and that perceived stigma would account for variance in depressive symptomatology above and beyond that accounted for by relevant clinical, demographic, and psychosocial variables. A sample of 95 participants receiving chemotherapy for stage II-IV non-small cell lung cancer was recruited during routine outpatient chemotherapy visits. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and self-report measures assessing perceived stigma, depressive symptomatology, and other psychosocial variables. A medical chart review was conducted to assess clinical factors. As hypothesized, there was a positive association between perceived stigma and depressive symptomatology, r = 0.46, p<0.001. Perceived stigma also accounted for significant unique variance in depressive symptomatology above and beyond that accounted for by relevant demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors, β = 0.19, p<0.05. Future research should aim to replicate and extend these findings in longitudinal studies and explore whether lung cancer patients' depressive symptomatology can be ameliorated by targeting perceived stigma.
  Psycho-Oncology 03/2012; 21(3):239-46. · 3.34 Impact Factor
• Article: Associations between pain and current smoking status among cancer patients.

  Joseph W Ditre, Brian D Gonzalez, Vani N Simmons, Leigh Anne Faul, Thomas H Brandon, Paul B Jacobsen
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  ABSTRACT: There is growing empirical and clinical interest in purported associations between smoking and the aggravation of cancer symptoms and treatment side effects, such as pain. Both pain and smoking are highly prevalent among persons with cancer, and there is recent evidence to suggest that cancer patients who continue to smoke despite their diagnosis experience greater pain than nonsmokers. Accordingly, the main goal of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations between multiple levels of smoking status and several pain-related outcomes among a sample of 224 cancer patients about to begin chemotherapy. Patients completed self-report measures of pain severity, pain-related distress, and pain-related interference, as well as a demographics questionnaire. Results indicated that persons who continued to smoke despite being diagnosed with cancer reported more severe pain than never smokers, F (2, 215)=3.47, p<.05. Current smokers also reported greater interference from pain than either former or never smokers, F (2, 215)=5.61, p<.01. Among former smokers, an inverse relation between pain severity and the number of years since quitting smoking was observed, r (104)=-.26, p<.01. These data suggest that continued smoking despite a cancer diagnosis is associated with greater pain severity and interference from pain; however, future research is warranted to determine the directionality of this relationship.
  Pain 01/2011; 152(1):60-5. · 5.78 Impact Factor