The Effect of Prostate Cancer Support Groups on Uncertainty

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the amount of uncertainty experienced by men with prostate cancer who attended a support group and those who did not. The theoretical framework utilized Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Model. The model has been extensively tested in a variety of chronic illnesses including malignant neoplasms. Uncertainty was measured using the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale Community form (MUIS-C), a tool specifically designed for use in an outpatient setting. To measure uncertainty in prostate cancer patients attending a support group, the study surveyed a convenience sample of men from a prostate cancer support group sponsored by a large hospital in the Northeastern United States. To compose a control group the survey was also mailed to a random sample of men with prostate cancer provided by the Center for Prostate Disease Research. Eighty-nine surveys were completed: 20 men were members of a support group and 69 who were not. The data revealed that uncertainty was similar for the two groups, as their scores were nearly identical.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2000
Accession Number
ADA421210

Entities

People

  • James L. Sall

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Breast Cancer
  • Cancer
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Science
  • Databases
  • Disease Attributes
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Hospitals
  • Information Science
  • Mastectomy
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neoplasms
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Surveys
  • United States

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