Zajac Laura E, Klein William M P, McCaul Kevin D
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.
J Health Commun. 2006;11 Suppl 1:37-49. doi: 10.1080/10810730600637301.
Risk perceptions for cancer measured on absolute scales (e.g., "What is the likelihood that you will get cancer?") and on comparative scales (e.g., "How does your risk compare with that of someone similar to you?") are independently associated with worry about cancer. We examined this finding in a large sample across several types of cancer, and explored whether these relationships are moderated by three clinically relevant variables-gender, levels of psychological distress, and cancer experience. Participants were respondents in a national survey who reported risk perceptions and worry regarding colon cancer (923 men, 1,532 women), breast cancer (2,154 women), and prostate cancer (860 men), and completed a validated measure of psychological distress. Analyses showed that absolute and comparative risk perceptions were independent predictors of worry across all cancer sites, but that absolute risk perceptions were significantly more predictive than comparative risk perceptions of worry for women (but not men). Among people who were more highly distressed, comparative risk perceptions were the only significant predictor of worry. Absolute risk and comparative risk were equally predictive of cancer worry among people who previously had been diagnosed with cancer. These findings imply that interventions highlighting the communication of comparative risk information may be differentially effective depending on the audience.
以绝对尺度（例如，“你患癌症的可能性有多大？”）和比较尺度（例如，“你的风险与和你相似的人的风险相比如何？”）衡量的癌症风险认知与对癌症的担忧独立相关。我们在一个涉及多种癌症类型的大样本中检验了这一发现，并探讨了这些关系是否受到三个临床相关变量——性别、心理困扰程度和癌症经历的调节。参与者是一项全国性调查中的受访者，他们报告了对结肠癌（923名男性，1532名女性）、乳腺癌（2154名女性）和前列腺癌（860名男性）的风险认知和担忧，并完成了一项经过验证的心理困扰测量。分析表明，绝对和比较风险认知是所有癌症部位担忧的独立预测因素，但对于女性（而非男性），绝对风险认知比比较风险认知对担忧的预测性显著更强。在心理困扰程度较高的人群中，比较风险认知是担忧的唯一显著预测因素。在先前被诊断患有癌症的人群中，绝对风险和比较风险对癌症担忧的预测作用相同。这些发现意味着，强调比较风险信息沟通的干预措施可能因受众不同而效果各异。
