The role of metacognitions in predicting anxiety and depression levels in cancer patients ongoing chemotherapy

Cancer patients often have to deal with numerous side effects and psychological distress during chemotherapy. Research has shown that dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs are the basis for the development and maintenance of emotional disorders. The present research is a first attempt to explore how metacognitions influence anxiety and depression in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. A sample of 175 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy completed a demographic questionnaire, the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30)and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Medical information about the stage of disease and the history of treatment was obtained. Linguistic analysis (Stansfield et al 1992) was employed to ensure that the form had been correctly translated because the Italian form of the MCQ-30 was utilized (Quattropani, et.al, 2014) Negative beliefs, the need to control thoughts, and positive beliefs explained up to 89% of variance of anxiety in cancer patients during chemotherapy. The negative beliefs about worry and the gender explained up to 81% of variance of depression in cancer patients during chemotherapy. In fact, female gender was positively correlated with depression level of patients. The negative beliefs about worry and the need to control thoughts explained the 81% variance for the overall distress of patients during chemotherapy. In conclusion, some metacognitive factors have a crucial role both for anxiety and depression in cancer patients ongoing chemotherapy. It is suggested that the psychological intervention for cancer patients should assess such factors and try to address them in clinical practice.