Congress Abstracts 2003

28

PERCEIVED CANCER WORRY IN WOMEN WITH HEREDITARY RISK FACTORS FOR BREAST CANCER. Lois Loescher, PhD, RN, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

Cancer worry is a phenomenon receiving increased scrutiny by researchers. Studying cancer worry may elucidate its relationship with other variables, such as perceived risk of cancer. Familiarity with cancer worry also may enhance understanding of its impact on decisions to engage in cancer risk-reducing behaviors. Knowledge of the genetic basis of cancers has generated studies of cancer worry in individuals with strong hereditary risk factors for certain cancers. Cognitive emotions theory implies that such individuals may not only worry about if they will get cancer, but when it will occur and what cues may herald its onset. This cross-sectional, descriptive study assessed cancer worry in 200 healthy women with hereditary risk factors for breast cancer. Women were recruited via a mammography center and network sampling. Participants completed demographic questions and the investigator-developed “Thoughts about Cancer Scale” (TACS) (Cronbach’s alpha = .73; intraclass correlation = .83, fit indices > .0.97). The 6 TACS items were generated from previous qualitative work and the literature. TACS total scores ranged from 6 (rare/never thoughts of cancer) to 24 (think about cancer all the time). Data analysis used frequency distributions, t-tests, and simple regression. Participants were a mean age of 49 years (SD = 14). Most participants worried about breast cancer (81%) and thought about it at least sometimes or more often (86%). However, they rarely/never: thought about cancer when sick (81%), were hypervigilant with breast self-exam (55%), felt breast lumps that were not validated by healthcare providers (87%), or thought every ache or pain was cancer (85%). Differences of total mean TACS scores of participants who thought about cancer sometimes or more frequently (20%) and those who rarely/never thought about cancer (80%) were significant (t (47) = -13.4, p < .000). Total TACS scores predicted intent to practice cancer screening/prevention behaviors (p = .001) and genetic testing (p = .000), but did not predict perceived absolute risk of cancer. Assessment of general cancer worry may help guide counseling for cancer risk-reduction in women at high risk for breast cancer. Findings support additional research to characterize relationships of cancer worry, perceived risk, and symptom cues.