Duivenboden, Merel van (2025) Emotion Recognition in Patients with Low-Grade Glioma Who Received Proton Therapy: A Longitudinal Study Including Effects of Chemotherapy and Anti-Epileptic Drugs. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Introduction: This study investigates longer-term social cognitive functioning, focusing on emotion recognition, in patients with lower-grade gliomas (LGG) who received proton therapy. Understanding the cognitive implications of cancer treatments is crucial, as cognitive deficits can significantly affect patients’ quality of life. This research is the first to systematically examine social cognition in patients with LGG who received proton therapy. The effects of chemotherapy and anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) on emotion recognition were also investigated. Method: A total of N=56 patients with lower-grade glioma (LGG) were assessed using the Facial Expressions of Emotion Stimuli and Tests (FEEST) to evaluate emotion recognition performance before and approximately 2.5 years after proton therapy. Analysis was based on a Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. The effects of chemotherapy on emotion recognition were analyzed with RM-ANOVA. The effects of AED-use on emotion recognition at baseline and 2.5-year follow-up were analyzed with a Kruswall-Wallis test and a Mann-Whitney-U test, respectively. Results: There were no significant changes in emotion recognition scores between baseline and 2.5-year follow-up measures. Further analyses revealed no significant effects for chemotherapy and AED use either. At the individual level, diverse trajectories of FEEST scores were observed, but could not be linked to specific sociodemographic variables. Discussion: These findings suggest that on a group level, emotion recognition remains stable 2.5 years after proton therapy in patients with LGG. No significant oncological or anticonvulsant treatment-related effects on emotion recognition were detected. However, individual variability underscores the need for personalized assessments of social cognition before and after treatment. Clinically, this highlights the importance of monitoring and supporting social cognitive function in LGG patients.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Siebenga, F.F. and Buunk, A.M. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Clinical Neuropsychology (CN) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 20 Feb 2025 16:20 |
| Last Modified: | 20 Feb 2025 16:20 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4673 |
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