Demands of illness in people treated for colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe the most common and most intense demands of illness in people with colorectal cancer.

DESIGN

Descriptive, comparative.

SETTING

People with colorectal cancer were accrued through weekly online computer postings.

SAMPLE

121 people (68 men and 53 women) from 35 states (n = 106) and six other countries (n = 15) who were treated for colon, rectal, or anal cancer.

METHODS

Mailed questionnaires included a 125-item, self-report instrument with seven subscales (Demands of Illness Inventory (DOII) and a 14-item demographic form.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Demands of illness, time since treatment, perception of illness state, activity level, and age.

FINDINGS

Demands of illness were greatest in the personal meaning domain, with more than 93% of subjects reporting that they thought about the value of life and how long they might live. More than 85% reported uncertainty in six similar areas. The 10 most intense demands were predominately psychosocial and existential concerns. Respondents in the youngest age group (< 45 years) reported significantly greater demands in six of seven domains of the DOII than the middle and older groups. Three variables (time since treatment, perception of illness, activity level) accounted for 45% of the variance in DOII scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Colorectal cancer imposed significant psychosocial and existential concerns on respondents, especially the youngest age group.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Nurses should address these concerns with patients while continuing to identify and scientifically test creative strategies to minimize psychosocial morbidity.