Premium
Exposure to asbestos: Psychological responses of mesothelioma patients
Author(s) -
Lebovits Allen H.,
Chahinian A. Philippe,
Holland Jimmie C.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700040306
Subject(s) - medicine , asbestos , denial , mesothelioma , psychosocial , risk factor , occupational medicine , occupational exposure , cognition , environmental health , pathology , psychiatry , psychology , materials science , psychoanalysis , metallurgy
Thirty‐eight patients with a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma participated in a semistructured interview to evaluate asbestos exposure, acquisition of increased risk information, and retrospective reporting of cognitive and behavioral reactions (particularly smoking behavior) to risk information. Twenty‐eight patients (74%) had direct occupational contact with asbestos, and six patients (16%) reported indirect nonoccupational exposure to asbestos. Only two (10%) of the directly exposed patients acquired risk in formation from professional sources prior to diagnosis of mesothelioma. The most frequently reported reaction to learning of increased risk of cancer was a denial of the risk by minimizing personal exposure. Few patients reported being concerned about the information of increased risk. Smoking behavior did not change as a result of risk information, nor was there any increase in visits to physicians. Guidelines for psychosocial management of at‐risk groups are recommended.