Perceptions About Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

Undergraduate students (N = 155) read one of three descriptions of a breast cancer patient that were identical except for the degree of relationship (mother, neighbor, or family friend) they were to imagine that they had with the patient. They then completed a 12-item questionnaire concerning their perceptions of and reactions to the patient. Significant differences among the relationship conditions were found for 6 of the 12 questions, and significant differences were found between the responses of male and female students for 2 of the 12 questions. A significant interaction effect was observed for one question. For all instances in which a significant effect for condition emerged, the neighbor or the family friend received more negative reactions than did the mother. The male students were less likely than were the female students to believe that the patient could return to work within three months after hospitalizatlon and to fear they would get cancer after visiting the patient. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for psychological counseling with postmastectomy patients and the people with whom they interact.