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Abstract

Two studies were conducted to investigate the cognitive organization and psychological meaning of illness causes. Using a direct similarity judgment method (Study 1), illness causes were found cognitively organized in a hierarchical configuration that could meaningfully be represented as a tree with three main branches--environmental, behavioral, and hidden causes--that further divided into subcategories. This classification of illness causes was associated with other components of the illness schema, namely, the consequences and control/cure dimensions, but not with timeline perceptions (Study 2). Perceptions of control were significantly associated with the cognitive organization of illness causal attributions. Personal relevancy was found as a moderator of illness causal attributions, influencing the relationships between attributions and other illness cognitions.

Breast Cancer Cause Beliefs

“…For example, post-treatment health behavior changes frequently matched participants’ causal attributions, with women who attributed their cancer to stress and diet making corresponding improvements, such as engaging in stress reduction strategies and reducing culture-specific foods high in fat. Moreover, findings provide support for Leventhal’s Common Sense Model (Leventhal et al, 1997; Royer et al, 2009) and previous research (Costanzo et al, 2011; Rabin & Pinto, 2006; Shiloh et al, 2002), which suggest that beliefs centered around illness do in fact play a role in behaviors.…”

“…For example, causal attributions for illness have been found to be associated with preventive health behaviors and health outcomes (Costanzo et al, 2011; Rabin & Pinto, 2006; Shiloh, Rashuk-Rosenthal, & Benyamini, 2002). Moreover, as confirmed by previous research, health beliefs and behaviors are influenced, in part, by culture (Ashing-Giwa, Padilla, Tejero, & Kagawa-Singer, 2003; Dein, 2004).…”

The impact of communicating genetic risks of disease on risk-reducing health behaviour: systematic review with meta-analysis

“…8 Secondly, communicating DNA based disease risk estimates demotivates behaviour change. 9 This is based on the observation that diseases considered to have a genetic basis are perceived as less controllable, 10 and using DNA to estimate disease risks may lead to a sense of fatalism or lack of control over the ability to improve outcomes. 11 Finally, communicating such information is likely to have, at best, only a small effect on behaviour.…”

Causal attribution among women with breast cancer

“…Health professionals can be trained to tell healthy women and patients about the prevention and treatment of the illness in an adequate way. Thus, educating women about the role of modifiable risk factors, the ones that might be controlled, may be necessary for the success of health promotion interventions (Ferrucci, et al, 2011;Shiloh et al 2002). In this respect, the role of mental health professionals is important.…”