Department of Behavioural Science and Health, UCL, London, UK.
Psychooncology. 2018 Jan;27(1):309-315. doi: 10.1002/pon.4569. Epub 2017 Nov 7.
Cancer is still widely feared and often associated with death. Fatalistic beliefs adversely affect help-seeking for cancer symptoms and engagement in cancer prevention. This study aims to understand middle-aged and older adults' first association with the word "cancer" and their relationship with sociodemographic factors, cancer fear, and cancer information avoidance.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1464 community-based adults aged 50 to 70 living in England in April 2015. First associations with cancer were measured qualitatively and analysed using content analysis. We used binary logistic regression to analyse associations between the most common first association of cancer and sociodemographic characteristics, cancer fear, and cancer information avoidance.
Cancer was most commonly associated with "death" (26%). Respondents with lower levels of education, living in the Midlands or North of England where cancer mortality is higher, or with close friends or family members with a cancer history, were more likely to associate cancer with death. Cancer fear was significantly associated with death associations, but cancer information avoidance was not.
Despite improved cancer outcomes, middle-aged and older adults often associate cancer with death. Further efforts to decrease fatalistic associations in this age group may be needed.
癌症仍然被广泛恐惧，并常与死亡联系在一起。宿命论信念会对癌症症状的求助和癌症预防的参与产生不利影响。本研究旨在了解中年和老年人群体对“癌症”一词的最初联想，以及这种联想与社会人口因素、癌症恐惧和癌症信息回避之间的关系。
我们于 2015 年 4 月在英格兰对 1464 名居住在社区的 50 至 70 岁成年人进行了一项横断面调查。通过定性测量他们对癌症的最初联想，并采用内容分析法进行分析。我们使用二元逻辑回归分析癌症的最常见最初联想与社会人口特征、癌症恐惧和癌症信息回避之间的关系。
癌症最常与“死亡”联系在一起（26%）。教育程度较低、居住在癌症死亡率较高的英格兰中部或北部地区、有癌症病史的亲密朋友或家人的受访者，更有可能将癌症与死亡联系在一起。癌症恐惧与死亡联想显著相关，但癌症信息回避与死亡联想不相关。
尽管癌症的治疗效果有所改善，但中年和老年人群体仍常将癌症与死亡联系在一起。可能需要进一步努力减少该年龄段人群的宿命论联想。
