Background Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with 19.3 million new cases recorded in 2020 and an estimated 28.4 million by 2040. In Mongolia, it ranks second after cardiovascular diseases in terms of mortality. Receiving a cancer diagnosis significantly impacts not only the physical condition of patients but also their psychological and social well-being. Studies indicate that 35–50% of cancer patients experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. This study aims to determine the stress levels of cancer patients and investigate the relationships between the factors that influence these levels. The Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20), developed by the WHO for primary healthcare physicians, was officially approved and used in this study. In terms of gender distribution, the majority were female (69.8%), while males accounted for 30.2%.
According to the study, in stage I of cancer, 9.5% of patients experienced high stress, 14.3% had moderate stress, and 7.9% reported no stress. In stage II, 9.5% had high stress, 22.2% had moderate stress, and 11.1% had no stress. In stage III, 6.3% experienced high stress, 9.5% had moderate stress, and 3.2% reported no stress. In stage IV, 4.8% experienced high stress, and 1.6% had moderate stress; no patients in this stage reported being stress free.
The highest percentages of moderate stress were observed in stages I and II (14.3% and 22.2%, respectively), possibly due to the strong emotional reaction at the time of initial diagnosis. In contrast, all stress levels declined sharply in stages III and IV, with 6.3% experiencing high stress, 9.5% moderate stress, and 3.2% no stress in stage III. In stage IV, 4.8% had high stress and 1.6% moderate stress, while no patients reported being stress-free.