Risk factors and prediction model for sub-threshold depression in young and middle-aged breast cancer patients

Objective: To explore the current status of subthreshold depression in young and middle-aged breast cancer patients and its influencing factors, in order to guide early identification and intervention in clinical settings.

Methods: The study included 385 young and middle-aged cancer patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from June 2023 to June 2024. Standardized scales were used to evaluate sub-threshold depression, psychological resilience, and self-perceived burden. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors, and ROC analysis was utilized to assess the predictive performance of the model.

Results: The sub-threshold depression score for 385 patients was 104.23±19.36, with an average item score of 3.58±0.59. Statistically significant differences in sub-threshold depression scores were observed across age groups, family relationships, economic burdens due to the illness, prior contact with patients having the same disease, subjective feelings about the illness, clinical stages, and whether patients had received radiotherapy or chemotherapy (all P < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found in other variables (all P > 0.05). Significant risk factors for sub-threshold depression included age ≥ 31 years, poor family relationships, severe subjective perception of the illness, heavy economic burden due to the disease, clinical stage III, psychological resilience, self-perceived burden, and receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy (all P < 0.05). ROC analysis revealed that the area under the curve (AUC) for the predictive model was 0.956.

Conclusion: The prediction model developed in this study provides a theoretical basis for screening sub-threshold depression in young and middle-aged breast cancer patients. It also offers a reference for clinical healthcare professionals to adopt preventive measures and care strategies for patients at risk of sub-threshold depression.