Sensitizing effects of pretreatment measures on cancer chemotherapy nausea and vomiting.

Abstract

This study explored the sensitizing effects of pretreatment assessment on posttreatment chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and the interactive effects of personal dispositions for information seeking. Seventy oncology outpatients were recruited from oncology waiting rooms prior to receiving scheduled chemotherapy. Half of the patients were asked to complete an inventory about the severity of side effects that they had experienced following their most recent treatment session (experimental condition) and half were asked to complete an inventory concerning parking conditions at the treatment facility (control condition). All patients were also asked to complete the Miller Behavioral Style Scale (MBSS) and to later rate the severity of their side effects (between 36-48 hr following treatment). Based on the MBSS scores, patients were then divided into information seekers (monitors) and information avoiders (blunters). Overall, patients in the experimental condition rated the severity of their nausea as more severe than the control patients. In addition, patients who preferred a monitoring coping style experienced a significantly higher incidence rate and longer episodes of nausea than patients who preferred a blunting style. The methodological implications of these results for data collection and the assessment of side effects associated with aversive medical procedures are discussed.

Preoperative preparation for surgery: an analysis of the effects of relaxation and information provision

“…For example, patients that received the information correctly answered 95% of the questions in the quick quiz, and all patients trained in relaxation reported practising relaxation at home, as well as after the surgery. We were unable to detect the interactive effect in contrast to other investigations (e.g., Gard et al, 1988;Efran et al, 1989;Lerman et al, 1990;Gattuso et al, 1992). Several reasons may account for this lack of support for the hypothesis.…”

The ‘cues’ to diagnosis: describing the monitoring activities of women undergoing diagnostic investigations for breast disease

“…On the basis of this discussion, it is important to consider the extent to which monitoring activities are associated with psychological distress. Previous research has reported increased levels of physiological, subjective and behavioural arousal in ‘monitors’ in other uncontrollable threatening situations ( Miller 1980, Phipps & Zinn 1986, Gard et al . 1988 ).…”

The Role of Illness Beliefs, Treatment Beliefs, and Perceived Severity of Symptoms in Explaining Distress in Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy Treatment

“…28 In addition, researchers have indicated a possibility that patients' coping styles (not examined in this study), may serve as a mediator between perceived severity of symptoms and anxious mood during chemotherapy. [29][30][31] In the mediating analyses examining the link between number of symptoms reported and depressed mood, we found that making symptom attributions to illness was important in reducing the association between number of symptoms reported and depressed mood. This only occurred, however, in combination with consequence beliefs, which, on their own, partially mediated the relationship.…”