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Abstract
In a study designed to examine correlates of cancer-related stigma, 405 college students were assigned randomly to listen to an audiotaped interview in which the target's cancer type and smoking status were manipulated. In the lung cancer conditions, target gender also was manipulated. Social distance and emotional responses differed according to participant gender, death anxiety, and target cancer type. Participant gender and target characteristics also were associated with perceptions of the target's character. Findings partially support terror management theory and suggest that death attitudes, gender norms, and diagnostic status influence social distancing from individuals with cancer.
Notes
1Results from additional assessments completed before and after listening to the audiotape are reported elsewhere.
2An interaction effect of death anxiety and target smoking status on character perceptions was found when data from participants with inaccurate responses were omitted, β = .12, t(345) = 2.19, p < .05. For participants with low death anxiety, character perceptions varied as a function of the target's smoking status, F(2, 210) = 7.59, p < .01. Tukey's HSD pairwise comparisons revealed that among participants with low death anxiety, those exposed to smoking targets endorsed more negative character perceptions (M = 25.49, SD = 6.03) relative to those exposed to nonsmoking targets (M = 21.72, SD = 6.22) or targets with an unspecified smoking status (M = 22.77, SD = 5.69). The character perceptions of the latter groups did not significantly differ from each other.
For participants with high death anxiety, character perceptions also varied as a function of target smoking status, F(2, 141) = 9.85, p < .001. Tukey's HSD pairwise comparisons revealed that among participants with high death anxiety, those exposed to nonsmoking targets endorsed more positive character perceptions (M = 20.20, SD = 6.78) relative to those exposed to smoking targets (M = 25.77, SD = 5.73) or targets with an unspecified smoking status (M = 23.26, SD = 6.08). The character perceptions of the latter groups did not significantly differ from each other.
∗p < .05. ∗∗p < .01. ∗∗∗p < .001.
Note. Standard deviations are in parentheses.
+ p < .10.
∗p < .05. ∗∗p < .01. ∗∗∗p < .001.
Note. Participant and target gender coded (0 = male and 1 = female). Cancer type coded (0 = breast or prostate cancer and 1 = lung cancer). Smoking status coded (1 = nonsmoker, 2 = smoker, and 3 = unspecified status).