Stigma and Quality of Life in Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer

To identify groups of participants with high and low levels of stigma and to examine the influence of stigma on social support, social constraints, symptom severity, symptom interference, and quality of life (QOL).

62 individuals with lung cancer were identified and recruited from a comprehensive cancer center in the southeastern United States.

Participants completed a questionnaire that included demographic information and measures of stigma, symptom severity and interference, social support, social constraints, and QOL. IBM SPSS Statistics TwoStep Cluster Analysis was used to identify high- and low-stigma groups. Independent sample t tests were used to compare differences between the groups.

22 participants had a high level of stigma; they had significantly higher symptom severity on feeling distressed, problems remembering things, and feeling sad, and greater symptom interference related to mood, relations with others, and enjoyment of life. Participants also had significantly higher levels of social support and lower social constraints. Stigma was significantly related to lower levels of QOL.

Nurses should be aware that stigma may influence various factors throughout the disease trajectory; they can privately assess individuals with lung cancer for access to social supports, feelings of stigma, and QOL, and make appropriate referrals as needed.