A0259
Title: A longitudinal study of the impact of hurricanes in quality of life on women diagnosed with gynecological cancer
Authors: Istoni Da Luz Santana - University of Puerto Rico (United States)
Jan Pena Rivera - University of Puerto Rico (United States) [presenting]
Abstract: As of 2021, cancer was the second leading cause of death in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Gynaecological cancer patients experience numerous stressors, including the physical impact of the disease, treatment side effects, financial difficulties, and many others. On September 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Mara affected Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Disasters such as these are high-stress events that can lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes for those affected. However, cancer patients are in an especially vulnerable position because of the devastated health infrastructure and limited access to care, among other aspects. Timely and uninterrupted cancer care is essential for cancer survival and quality of life. In order to study the dynamic changes of the effects the disasters (explanatory latent variables) cause in gynaecological cancer patients' quality of life (outcome latent variable), a Bayesian approach using a longitudinal SEM was applied to the data observed before and after the hurricanes Irma and Maria. A Gibbs sampler algorithm was applied to estimate the unknown parameters of the model. The Lv-measure is used as a model comparison statistic. Results obtained are provided to illustrate the Bayesian methodologies.
