Stigma, Adjustment, and Quality of Life of Middle-aged Male Patients with Lung Cancer

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between stigma, adjustment, and quality of life of middle-aged male patients with lung cancer and the influences of those factors on the patients’ quality of life. Methods: A descriptive survey design was used. A total of 120 male patients between 45 to 64 years participated in the study. They answered a self-reported survey composed of Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale, Korean Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale, and The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale-General Version 4. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficients, stepwise multiple regression by the SPSS 25 version. Results: The stigma showed a positive correlation with “helplessness-hopelessness” and “anxious preoccupation” (r=.30, p=.001; r=.41, p