PhD - Severe Mental Illness and Cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Perception of needs of individuals with co-morbid severe mental illness and Cancer
IRAS ID
268528
Contact name
Laura Charlesworth
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Hallam University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 3 months, 11 days
Research summary
The primary research question is: What do service users with pre-existing severe mental health conditions perceive to be their needs when undergoing care for cancer?
It is reported that 30% of people with long-term health conditions such as cancer also have a mental health problem. Following a cancer diagnosis, individuals with mental health conditions are reported to have poor a clinical outcomes, reduced quality of life and reduced ability to manage physical side-effects compared to those without. Policy documents demonstrate some of the issues associated with the care of individuals with mental health and long-term conditions, however there is a large gap in the evidence surrounding the needs from the perspective of the service user. As a result, it is challenging to develop services to meet the needs of patients without understanding their experiences.
Recruitment to this study will be open to any individuals living with a severe mental illness that have also received a diagnosis of and treatment for cancer (where an individual received a cancer diagnosis more than 12 months prior to participation and the individual accesses support related to their mental health. Individuals will be recruited through promoting the study in oncology and mental health national health services and voluntary settings across the county of Yorkshire
This study is a part time PhD research project, due to be completed in 2023, with recruitment to take place between 2020 and 2021.
If individuals choose to participate in the research study, they will be required to attend a one-to-one face to face or telephone interview lasting for approximately one hour during which individuals will be asked a small number of questions about their experiences of receiving a diagnosis of and treatment for cancer, their mental health at the time of their cancer diagnosis and any experiences that they might remember from that time.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/HRA/3177
Date of REC Opinion
28 Sep 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion