A Qualitative Study of Smoking-Related Causal Attributions and Risk Perceptions in Cervical Cancer Survivors

Gabriella E. Puleo, Tia N. Borger, Devin Montgomery, Jessica N. Rivera Rivera, Jessica L. Burris

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: The prevalence of smoking among cervical cancer survivors typically exceeds what is found among women in the general population and other cancer survivors. Yet, there is a dearth of literature on risk and protective factors related to smoking among cervical cancer survivors, especially when it comes to identification of variables that are amendable to intervention. To help fill this gap in the literature, this qualitative study examines the nature of smoking-related causal attributions and risk perceptions in cervical cancer survivors who smoked at cancer diagnosis. Methods: Participants are 21 female cervical cancer survivors (M=45.7, SD=8.4 years old), all diagnosed in the past five years. Nearly three-quarters of participants reported smoking in the past month. Results: Smoking was not uniformly recognized as a cause of cervical cancer (whether in general or participants' own cancer); the link between smoking and lung, head-neck, and other cancers was more readily accepted. Despite generally weak endorsements of causal attributions, many participants reported smoking significantly increases risk for poor clinical (e.g., recurrence) and quality of life (e.g., pain) outcomes after cervical cancer diagnosis. Conclusions: Findings suggest cervical cancer survivors may not fully understand or appreciate the role of smoking in cervical cancer risk whereas their beliefs about the role of smoking in cervical cancer prognosis are more well-formed. This study highlights the potential role of causal attributions and risk perceptions in understanding and addressing the smoking-related experience of cervical cancer survivors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)500-506
Number of pages7
JournalPsycho-Oncology
Volume29
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance and support of Vicki Blevins‐Booth and the entire staff at Kentucky Cancer Link staff because this work would not have been possible without their partnership. The authors would also like to acknowledge Jaclyn McDowell, DrPH and the rest of the Kentucky Cancer Registry staff as data to support this study was provided by the Kentucky Cancer Registry. We are also grateful for the assistance of Ashley Brown, Kelly Sudbrack, Jamie Ostroff, Elyse Shuke, and Nancy Schoenberg, as each of them contributed to the formulation or execution of this work in some way. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers K07 CA181351, P30 CA177558, and R25 CA221765, the National Institute of Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award number T32 DA035200, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number UL1 TR001998. The content of this publication is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Funding Information:
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance and support of Vicki Blevins-Booth and the entire staff at Kentucky Cancer Link staff because this work would not have been possible without their partnership. The authors would also like to acknowledge Jaclyn McDowell, DrPH and the rest of the Kentucky Cancer Registry staff as data to support this study was provided by the Kentucky Cancer Registry. We are also grateful for the assistance of Ashley Brown, Kelly Sudbrack, Jamie Ostroff, Elyse Shuke, and Nancy Schoenberg, as each of them contributed to the formulation or execution of this work in some way. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers K07 CA181351, P30 CA177558, and R25 CA221765, the National Institute of Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award number T32 DA035200, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number UL1 TR001998. The content of this publication is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords

  • cancer
  • health knowledge, attitudes, and practice
  • oncology
  • qualitative research
  • smoking

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Oncology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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