Corinne Leach, PhD, MPH, MS, who leads cancer survivorship research at the American Cancer Society, joined the podcast to discuss her recent publication on the rise of mental health distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using data from the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3) cohort, Dr. Leach and collaborators “identified factors associated with increased depression and anxiety during the pandemic, including sociodemographic characteristics, stressors, and comorbid conditions associated with increased risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes.”* They also presented findings related to financial stressors and looked at long-term implications.

For resources and information to help you cope during and after cancer treatment, please visit: https://www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorship-during-and-after-treatment.html

Dr. Leach is Senior Principal Scientist of Behavioral Research in the Population Sciences group at the American Cancer Society. She serves as the Principal Investigator of the American Cancer Society (ACS) survivorship cohorts, including the Studies of Cancer Survivors and the Cancer Survivor Transition Study.

3:13 –Pandemic-related stressors that have been associated with greater levels of anxiety and depression

8:09 – Her recent study on how our mental and physical health prior to the pandemic factored into our ability to deal with the psychological stress of the pandemic

10:57 – On long-term implications for mental health

12:45 – A snapshot of what cancer survivorship looks like in the United States

15:09 – On similarities between cancer survivors and participants her your study whose stressors were associated with anxiety and depression

17:25 – On post-treatment programs for cancer survivors

21:51 – Helpful ways to deal with significant life stressors

* http://pressroom.cancer.org/StressorsPandemicPredictors