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Influence of Men's Personality and Social Support on Treatment Decision-Making for Localized Prostate Cancer
Elyse Reamer1, Felix Yang1, Margaret Holmes-Rovner2
1School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
Biomed Research International
|August 9, 2017
Summary
Consulting friends influences localized prostate cancer treatment choices, increasing curative options but also decision difficulty. Personality traits did not impact treatment decisions.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Oncology
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Optimal treatment for localized prostate cancer (LPC) remains a complex decision.
- Factors influencing treatment choice, such as social support and specialist consultation, require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of personality traits, consultations with medical specialists, and social support (spouse, family, friends) on treatment decisions for localized prostate cancer.
- To evaluate how these factors affect decision-making quality, including difficulty, satisfaction, and regret.
Main Methods:
- A population-based survey was administered to men aged ≤75 years with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer.
- Data collected included treatment choice, reasons for choice, decision-making difficulty, satisfaction, and regret.
- Statistical analysis adjusted for age, race, comorbidity, and tumor risk level.
Main Results:
- Men who consulted friends were significantly more likely to choose curative treatments (surgery or radiation) over active surveillance/watchful waiting (OR = 11.1, p < 0.01).
- Consulting with a radiation oncologist, in addition to a urologist, increased the likelihood of choosing radiation therapy over surgery (OR = 6.0, p = 0.04).
- Consulting with family or friends was associated with increased decision-making difficulty (OR = 2.6, p < 0.01; OR = 3.7, p < 0.01).
Conclusions:
- Social support from friends plays a significant role in favoring curative treatments for localized prostate cancer.
- Consulting family or friends, while potentially helpful, can also increase the complexity and difficulty of the treatment decision-making process.
- No significant association was found between personality traits (optimism, pessimism, faith) and treatment choice or decision quality.
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