COVID-19 pandemic–related emotional, social, and medical concerns of Latino patients with cancer: perspectives of mental health providers

TL;DR

Latino cancer patients faced significant emotional, social, and medical challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to perspectives from mental health providers.

Contribution

This study highlights the unique burdens faced by Latino cancer patients during the pandemic, based on provider perspectives from multiple regions.

Findings

Providers reported that most patients were concerned about stress and anxiety, followed by fears of COVID-19 exposure.

Patients also expressed worries about treatment delays, hospital visits, and income loss.

Providers noted that patients with COVID-19 feared death, disease spread, and inadequate medical care.

Abstract

Latino people with cancer might face additional health, emotional, and socioeconomic burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study included data from two waves of (independent) assessments with providers of mental health services to Latino/Hispanic people with cancer from the United States, Spain, and Latin America (first wave: May-July 2020; second wave: March-July 2021) who completed a cross-sectional online survey with open- and closed-ended questions, including concerns of people with cancer with/without COVID-19.

The response rates were 15% for Wave 1 (N=88) and 14% for Wave 2 (N=115). For Wave 1, 74 surveys were completed by clinicians and included in the analyses; for Wave 2, 115 surveys were included. Providers (first [77%] and second [84%] waves) reported that most patients had concerns about stress/symptoms of anxiety, followed by concerns about COVID-19 exposure (first [74%] and second [82%] waves) and family members’ exposure (second wave 75%), hospital visits or appointments (82%, 79%, respectively), treatment/testing delays (69%, 72%, respectively), general health (58%, 71%, respectively), and income/salary loss or reduction (60%, 50%, respectively). According to providers, concerns of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 included fear of death and dying, spreading the disease, getting worse, and lack of appropriate medical care.

Our findings reveal the need to address health, emotional, and socioeconomic burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout Latin America, Spain and the United States for Latino people with cancer. Interventions targeting the healthcare access, emotional, and socioeconomic needs of Latino people with cancer are warranted.