Treatment non-adherence in teenage and young adult cancer patients: a preliminary study of patient perceptions.
Psychooncology
; 18(12): 1327-32, 2009 Dec.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-19267369
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
Non-adherence (NA) by adolescents receiving cancer treatment is believed to be a major problem. However, adequate measures of NA have not been developed. The purpose of this study was to (1) assess the internal reliability of a new scale reflecting low-risk NA behaviours, (2) examine whether the scores on this scale were associated with high-risk NA behaviours and (3) assess the relationship between NA behaviours and patient attitudes towards stopping treatment.METHODS:
Thirty-three patients (16-24 years) with solid tumours reported on their previous adherence with treatment. Low-risk NA behaviours were assessed on a 0-40 scale derived from the sum of 10 items. High-risk NA behaviours and attitudes towards stopping treatment were assessed by questions with yes/no response options.RESULTS:
Internal reliability of the low-risk NA scale was alpha=0.73. Patients not seeking help for pyrexia had higher total low-risk NA scores than those who sought help (mean 7.4, SD 5.3 vs mean 3.5, SD 3.6, t=2.1, p=0.03). There was also a trend for individuals who ignored pyrexia to be more likely to have contemplated stopping treatment than those who sought medical assistance (Fisher's Exact=0.09).CONCLUSIONS:
A scale reflecting low-risk NA behaviour had good internal reliability and was associated with not seeking help when pyrexic. Ignoring a temperature was also associated with contemplating stopping treatment. We are now conducting a prospective study using the measure to assess validity against a range of information regarding NA.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Rol del Enfermo
/
Encuestas y Cuestionarios
/
Cooperación del Paciente
/
Neoplasias
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Psychooncology
Asunto de la revista:
NEOPLASIAS
/
PSICOLOGIA
Año:
2009
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Reino Unido