Pain-related stigma in patients with breast, colon, prostate or lung cancer : Results of a bicentric register-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Studies on cancer patients show amoderately high relevance of perceived stigmatization. However, no studies have explored the perceived stigmatization in relation to cancer-associated pain. In this work, we analysed the relationship between pain and perceived stigmatization across alarge sample of four major cancer entities. Quantitative data of 858 patients (45.6% women, mean age 60.7years) with breast, bowel, lung and prostate cancer were evaluated in aregister-based, bicentric study. Perceived stigmatization was measured using the social impact cale (SIS-D), including atotal score and four subscales. Pain was assessed with the brief pain inventory (BPI). The data were analysed using correlation und multiple regression with various sociodemographic and medical predictors. Of all 858 cancer patients, those with lung and breast cancer were characterized by the greatest pain. The intensity of the pain was apredictor of the perceived stigma in patients with breast and colorectal cancer. In addition, younger age was also apredictor for perceived stigmatization. Agood quality of life resulted as aprotective factor. The final models showed ahigh goodness of the fit (corr. R2 > 0.35), except for the lung cancer patients. Our findings support the assumption that the experience of pain can have an impact on the perceived stigmatization of cancer patients. Depression might influence the perceived stigmatization. Therefore, this group of patients should receive special attention and psycho-oncological care in clinical practice. Further research on the course and mechanisms of action of pain-related perceived stigmatization is also required.