Assessing the Imagery of Cancer

Abstract

Initial reliability and validity data are presented for the Cancer Metaphors Test (CMT), designed to assess the imagery of cancer. The results of a factor analysis suggested four meaningful factors with adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability: Terminal Pessimism, Future Optimism, Natural Disaster, and Foreign Intruder. A sample of oncology patients scored lower than controls on Future Optimism and higher on the other three scales, but no gender or socioeconomic differences were observed. Patients with colorectal cancer scored higher than lung cancer patients did on Terminal Pessimism and Foreign Intruder. Modest but significant correlations were obtained between CMT scores and locus of control scores, interview ratings of perceived control, quality-of-life indexes, and physicians' ratings of symptom severity.