First- and second-year medical students rated 35 diseases (e.g., cancer, heart attack, herpes, schizophrenia, alcoholism) on nine different rating scales (e.g., prognosis, ease of management). In order to uncover the underlying dimensional structure, mean ratings were subjected to multidimensional scaling analyses in which both diseases and rating scales were placed in the same configuration. The results indicated that a two-dimensional solution, accounting for 97% of the variance, was most appropriate. The first dimension distinguishes between diseases that appear to be more physiological in nature and those that have some psychological involvement as well. The second dimension seems most related to fear, seriousness, prognosis, patient desirability, and ease of management.

No abstract

A questionnaire assessing attitudes toward psychosocial cancer care (the Cancer Opinionnaire) was constructed. Factor analysis revealed five factors: outcome expectations; candor; interest in treating cancer; psychosocial concerns: role of the physician; and psychosocial concerns: importance to the patient. Re-liabilities ranged from 0.68 to 0.82. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated that second-year students, who had been exposed to a required first-year course stressing biopsychosocial concerns of medical care, expressed more positive attitudes than did entering first-year students. Additionally, female medical students expressed more positive attitudes than did male students. Addressing biopsychosocial concerns in the beginning of medical education may help establish a more open and fertile ground upon which later training will be received. Cuncer 58:801-806, 1986. N INCREASING AMOUNT Of attention has been de

No abstract