Psychosocial Determinants of Cancer-Related Information Seeking Among Cancer Patients

Abstract

This study explores the utility of using the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction as a framework for predicting cancer patients' intentions to seek information about their cancer from sources other than a physician, and to examine the relation between patients' baseline intentions to seek information and their actual seeking behavior at follow-up. Within 1 year of their diagnosis with colon, breast, or prostate cancer, 1,641 patients responded to a mailed questionnaire assessing intentions to seek cancer-related information from a source other than their doctor, as well as their attitudes, perceived normative pressure, and perceived behavioral control with respect to this behavior. In addition, the survey assessed their cancer-related information seeking. One year later, 1,049 of these patients responded to a follow-up survey assessing cancer-related information seeking during the previous year. Attitudes, perceived normative pressure, and perceived behavioral control were predictive of information-seeking intentions, although attitudes emerged as the primary predictor. Intentions to seek information, perceived normative pressure regarding information seeking, baseline information-seeking behavior, and being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer were predictive of actual information-seeking behavior at follow-up. Practical implications are discussed.

Acknowledgments

We thank Michael Hennessy and Stacy Gray for their helpful comments on previous drafts of this article. We also are grateful to the Seeking and Scanning research group at the Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research for developing and conducting the research analyzed here. Preparation of this article was made possible by grant number 5P50CA095856-03 from the National Institutes of Health. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Notes

*All χ² tests compare participants who responded at follow-up with those who did not. Cancer stage was determined from clinical data available from the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry.

Note: Positive effect sizes (Cohen's d) indicate higher scores for intenders. Due to missing data, N values for intenders range from 378 to 434, and n values for nonintenders range from 899 to 1092. α is the measure of internal consistency, r is the interitem correlation. Both r values are significant, p values < .001.

Note: All regression coefficients are from Step 2 after controlling for demographic covariates in Step 1. Step 1 adjusted R ² = 0.40. Gender was not included as a covariate because it was collinear with cancer type. N = 1,267.

^a Hosmer and Lemeshow test.

^b Naglekerke R ². The BI measure is continuous. N = 792.