Decision-making in breast cancer.
Item
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Title
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Decision-making in breast cancer.
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Identifier
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AAI9000673
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identifier
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9000673
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Creator
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Benevento, Anne.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Irwin Katz
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Date
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1989
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Social | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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Janis and Mann have developed a theory of decision making which suggests five different patterns of coping with threats. Four of these patterns should lead to defective decision making, while the fifth, which is called "vigilant information processing" should lead to adequate decisional consideration. This dissertation utilized the Janis and Mann guidelines to assess competent decision making practices among forty women who had chosen mastectomy as the treatment for their breast cancer.;The interviews were conducted in the New York Metropolitan area. The participants were women aged 29 through 72, with an average age of 46.6 years. All respondents had a mastectomy within the previous seven years. The average post-surgical period was two and one-half years. The interview consisted largely of open-ended questions, and was designed to cover the criteria considered by Janis and Mann to be important for adequate decision making, as well as to be sensitive to the respondents' information gathering practices and their emotional and physical well being after surgery.;Findings supported the hypothesis that women who had adequately completed an informational search had less difficulty adjusting to the post-mastectomy period than did women whose informational search was found to be inadequate.;It was also found that the group of women who were merely open to receiving information fared better on the post-surgical anxiety items than did women who either did not search for alternatives pre-diagnostically, or who stated they were closed to receiving any information about breast cancer. Women who were told "not to worry" by their doctors before diagnosis and women who were found to be "closed to information" showed significant emotional distress after the mastectomy. Although the Janis and Mann model received considerable support from this study one of their hypothesized determinants of poor decision making was not found to be present. None of the women interviewed expressed regret about their decisions. All stated their belief that the mastectomy was the right choice in treating their cancer.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
