Medical Maximizing-Minimizing Preferences Predict Responses to Information about Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening

Area of Science:

• Medical decision-making
• Health psychology
• Prostate cancer screening

Background:

• The Medical Maximizer-Minimizer Scale (MMS) measures preferences for active versus passive medical treatment.
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening shows varied uptake among men, even when risks outweigh benefits.
• Understanding individual differences in treatment preferences is crucial for informed medical choices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if MMS preferences predict men's responses to information about PSA screening.
• To examine how didactic information and narrative stories influence screening decisions based on maximizing-minimizing tendencies.

Main Methods:

• 1208 US men aged 40+ completed an online survey.
• Participants received information on PSA screening in three phases, including didactic content and narrative stories about harms.
• Men's screening preferences were assessed after each phase, and they completed the MMS.

Main Results:

• Initial screening desire was 76.8%, dropping to 54.8% after risk/benefit information (P < 0.001).
• Men who altered their preferences were more likely minimizers than maximizers.
• Maximizers generally desired screening post-information, while minimizers often did not.

Conclusions:

• Minimizers are more receptive to information favoring reduced or no screening compared to maximizers.
• Individual differences in medical decision-making, like maximizing-minimizing, significantly impact PSA screening preferences.
• Tailoring information based on these preferences may improve informed consent for screening.