Aims: To examine if baseline stigma predicts psychological distress at 3 months and 6 months follow-up among patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer.
Methods: A longitudinal study design was used. This study was part of a larger randomised controlled trial that compared methods of providing psychosocial support for people with lung cancer. Eligible participants were recruited via respiratory and oncology out-patient clinics in Australia (n=194). Consenting participants were asked to complete surveys at baseline, 3 months and 6 months post-recruitment. Measures included lung cancer stigma (Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale) and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire 12).
Results: One-hundred and ninety-four participants were included for analysis. Most were male (57.7%) with a mean age of 68 years (SD=8.8). A significant relationship between baseline lung cancer stigma and psychological distress at six months was found, where a one unit increase in lung cancer stigma increases psychological distress by 0.044 when adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, baseline psychological distress scores and intervention allocation (as part of the larger trial; p=0.001; β=0.044, 95% CI=0.010, 0.079).
Conclusions: Findings indicate the sequential association between lung cancer stigma and psychological distress. As such, patients who experience lung cancer stigma may benefit from early intervention to mitigate the potential for additional psychological distress. Evidence for stigma-reduction interventions is generally limited, therefore further exploration is needed to identify how to best support patients.