Attendance of men at the familial cancer clinic: What they value from the consultation
Publication Details
Lobb, E. A., Gaff, C. L., Meiser, B., Butow, P. N., Osseiran-Moisson, R., & Hallowell, N. (2009). Attendance of men at the familial cancer clinic: What they value from the consultation. Genetics in Medicine, 11(6), 434-440. doi:10.1097/GIM.0b013e3181a18982
Abstract
Purpose: This study examined what men from high-risk breast/ovarian cancer families valued from attending a familial cancer clinic.
Methods: One hundred men from families with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation completed a self-administered questionnaire.
Results: Seventy- two percent (72%) of men attended the familial cancer clinic at the request of a family member. Multivariate analyses showed that men with a preference for a collaborative decision-making style (B = -4.651, 95% CI = -9.014 to -0.289, P = 0.04), those with lower levels of education (B = -4.850, 95% CI = -9.16 to -0.537, P = 0.03), and those with higher levels of cancer-related anxiety (intrusion) (B = 0.920, 95% CI = 0.441-1.399, P < 0.001) were more likely to value emotional support from the clinic. Men with a collaborative decision-making style (B = -2.68, 95% CI = -4.91 to -0.467, P = 0.02) were less likely, and those with higher total levels of cancer-related anxiety (intrusion and avoidance) (B = 0.393, 95% CI = 0.008-0.779, P = 0.04) were more likely to value receiving information from the clinic.
Conclusions: A preference for collaborative decision making and cancer-related anxiety predicted men valuing information and emotional support from the consultation. The finding that men's attendance is initiated by family members highlights the value men place on family responsibility.
Keywords
peer-reviewed
