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A Qualitative Study of Smoking‐Related Causal Attributions and Risk Perceptions in Cervical Cancer Survivors
Author(s) -
Puleo Gabriella E.,
Borger Tia N.,
Montgomery Devin,
Rivera Rivera Jessica N.,
Burris Jessica L.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.5291
Subject(s) - medicine , cervical cancer , attribution , cancer , risk perception , lung cancer , population , smoking cessation , clinical psychology , perception , oncology , environmental health , psychology , pathology , social psychology , neuroscience
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.