Training in early cancer detection and anxiety in adolescent males: a preliminary report

Because of concerns about increasing anxiety in a population that is at relatively low risk for developing cancer, some investigators have recommended that training in testicular self-examination (TSE) not be provided to adolescent males. However, empirical findings documenting a link between training in cancer detection and increased anxiety in adolescent males are lacking. In this preliminary study, we assessed whether training in TSE was actually associated with elevated state anxiety in two samples of adolescent males (29 ninth graders and 30 college underclassmen). For both groups, anxiety scores were well within normal limits at postassessment, indicating that a purported cost of the procedure may in fact not exist.