Delay: A Deterrent to Cancer Detection

Lynch, Henry T.; Krush, Anne J.

doi:10.1080/00039896.1968.10665214

Cited by 20 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Research on delay in seeking medical care for cancer symptoms has compared delayers and nondelayers on demographic and personality variables, on feelings about doctors and histories of seeking medical care, on knowledge of cancer and previous experience with the disease, on affective and defensive reactions to finding cancer symptoms, and on self-diagnoses of initial cancer symptoms (Abrams & Finesinger, 1953; Aitken-Swan & Paterson, 1955; Antonovsky & Hartman, 1974; Bard & Sutherland, 1955; Cameron & Hinton, 1968; Clements & Wakefield, 1972; Cobb, Clark, McGuire, & Howe, 1954; Eardley, 1974; Gold, 1964; Goldsen, Gerhardt, & Handy, 1957; Greer, 1974; Hackett, Cassem, & Raker, 1973; Henderson, 1966; Henderson, Wittkower, & Lougheed, 1958; Kasl & Cobb, 1966; King & Leach, 1950; Lynch & Krush, 1968, 1969; Shands, Finesinger, Cobb, & Abrams, 1951; Sugar & Watkins, 1961; Worden & Weisman, 1975). These studies have yielded very little in the way of consistent findings (cf.…”

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confidence: 99%

Seeking medical care for a breast cancer symptom: Determinants of intentions to engage in prompt or delay behavior.

Timko¹

1987

Health Psychology

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This study examined the cognitive structures underlying women's intentions to delay or not delay seeking medical care for a breast cancer symptom. Middle-aged women imagined that they had just discovered a particular change in their breast, and they completed a questionnaire that assessed variables specified by Ajzen and Fishbein's theory of reasoned action with respect to two alternative courses of action: immediately calling the doctor (i.e., prompt behavior) and monitoring the breast change on one's own (i.e., delay behavior). Also assessed were variables external to the theory that were drawn from previous research on cancer delay. Results showed that intentions to delay were positively associated with having favorable attitudes toward delay and with perceived social pressure to delay; the attitudinal factor, however, was more influential than the social factor in determining intentions. Underlying favorable attitudes toward delay were beliefs that delay would be likely to result in maintaining control over and avoiding the disruption of one's own and others' lives but would be unlikely to result in negative health outcomes. No external variable was found to contribute to intentions to delay above and beyond attitudinal and normative considerations.

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confidence: 99%

Seeking medical care for a breast cancer symptom: Determinants of intentions to engage in prompt or delay behavior.

Timko¹

1987

Health Psychology

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“…Many studies have been conducted to assess whether illness denial was a determinant of health attitudes and behavior in patients with cancer [1, 28, 130–139, 141–148][1, 28, 130–139, 141–148]. In particular, Lynch and Krush [138] showed that factors contributing to delay (defined as an interval of 3 months or longer between the time an individual first notices signs or symptoms of cancer and the time he/she seeks medical attention) in a heterogeneous sample of patients with various forms of cancer included attitudes of denial. In a more recent study, Panzarella et al [149] found that illness denial was a significant predictor of diagnostic delay in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies have been conducted to assess whether illness denial was a determinant of health attitudes and behavior in patients with cancer [1, 28,[130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139][141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148] [1, 28,[130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139][141][142][143][144][145][146][147][148]. In particular, Lynch and Krush [138] showed that factors contributing to delay (defined as an interval of 3 months or longer between the time an individual first notices signs or symptoms of cancer and the time he/she seeks medical attention) in a heterogeneous sample of patients with various forms of cancer included attitudes of denial. In a more recent study, Panzarella et al [149] found that illness denial was a significant predictor of diagnostic delay in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.…”

Section: Health Attitudes and Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Illness Denial in Medical Disorders: A Systematic Review

Patierno

Fava

Carrozzino

2023

Psychother Psychosom

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Introduction: Illness denial pertains to medical patients who do not acknowledge the presence or severity of their disease or the need of treatment. Objective: This systematic review was performed to clarify the clinical role and manifestations of illness denial, its impact on health attitudes and behavior, as well as on short- and long-term outcomes in patients with medical disorders. Methods: The systematic search according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Results: The initial search yielded a total of 14,098 articles; 176 studies met the criteria for inclusion. Illness denial appeared to be a relatively common condition affecting a wide spectrum of health attitudes and behavior. In some cases, it may help a person cope with various stages of illness and treatment. In other situations, it may determine delay in seeking treatment, impaired adherence, and reduced self-management, leading to adverse outcomes. The Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) were found to set a useful severity threshold for the condition. An important clinical distinction can also be made based on the DCPR for illness denial, which require the assessment of whether the patient has been provided with an adequate appraisal of the medical situation. Conclusions: This systematic review indicates that patients with medical disorders experience and express illness denial in many forms and with varying degrees of severity. The findings suggest the need for a multidimensional assessment and provide challenging insights into the management of medical disorders.

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“…It is important that clinicians attempt to recognize the FAMMM phenotype as early in life as possible so that these patients might be psychologically prepared for a lifelong, intensive, surveillance/management program (8). We emphasize this point since our experience has revealed that certain patients who are at inordinately high risk for hereditary cancer may frequently adopt defense mechanisms of denial or become extremely fatalistic (15). These attitudes are often steeped in fear of finding that they have cancer, and this psychologic orientation will seriously compromise the physician's best efforts toward enacting a prudent cancer-control program (16,17), Given these concerns, we recommend the following surveillance program:…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%