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Association between patient-provider communication and lung cancer stigma

Supportive Care in Cancer volume 24, pages 2093–2099 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Purpose

The majority (95 %) of lung cancer patients report stigma, with 48 % of lung cancer patients specifically reporting feeling stigmatized by their medical providers. Typically associated with the causal link to smoking and the historically poor prognosis, lung cancer stigma can be seen as a risk factor for poor psychosocial and medical outcomes in the context of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment. Thus, modifiable targets for lung cancer stigma-reducing interventions are needed. The present study sought to test the hypothesis that good patient-provider communication is associated with lower levels of lung cancer stigma.

Methods

Lung cancer patients (n = 231) across varying stages of disease participated in a cross-sectional, multisite study designed to understand lung cancer stigma. Patients completed several survey measures, including demographic and clinical characteristics, a measure of patient-provider communication (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Program or CAHPS), and a measure of lung cancer stigma (Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale).

Results

As hypothesized, results indicated that good patient-provider communication was associated with lower levels of lung cancer stigma (r = −0.18, p < 0.05). These results remained significant, even when controlling for relevant demographic and clinical characteristics (Stan. β = −0.15, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Results indicate that good patient-provider communication is associated with lower levels of lung cancer stigma, suggesting that improving patient-provider communication may be a good intervention target for reducing lung cancer stigma.

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Fig. 1

Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 East 68th St., Box 39, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Megan Johnson Shen

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Megan Johnson Shen & Jamie S. Ostroff

  3. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Harold C, Simmons Cancer Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Anna J. Thomas

  4. Department of Psychology and Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Heidi A. Hamann

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  1. Megan Johnson Shen
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  4. Jamie S. Ostroff
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Megan Johnson Shen.

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Funding

This work was supported by the following grants: National Cancer Institute (T32-CA009461), National Cancer Institute (1R03CA154016), the North Carolina Chapter (Young Investigator Award), and the Lung Cancer Research Foundation.

Grant support

UL1TR001105 (National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, NIH).

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Shen, M.J., Hamann, H.A., Thomas, A.J. et al. Association between patient-provider communication and lung cancer stigma. Support Care Cancer 24, 2093–2099 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-3014-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-3014-0

Keywords

  • Lung cancer
  • Lung cancer stigma
  • Patient-provider communication