Beliefs of cancer patients in Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Journal of psychosocial oncology Vol. 38; no. 3; pp. 358 - 374
• Main Authors: Al-Wassia, Rolina, Al-Zaben, Faten, Gamal Sehlo, Mohammad, Koenig, Harold G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Routledge 03.05.2020; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; beliefs; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; contagiousness; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health services; Humans; infectious; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms - therapy; Outpatients; patient education; Patients; Physical contact; Questionnaires; Radiation; Radiation therapy; Saudi Arabia; Surveys and Questionnaires; transmission; Treatment methods; Saudi Arabia; infectious; transmission; contagiousness; patient education; radiation therapy; cancer; beliefs; chemotherapy
• ISSN: 0734-7332; 1540-7586
• DOI: 10.1080/07347332.2019.1642284

Objectives: To examine oncology patients' beliefs about the transmissible nature of cancer or its treatments and to determine the correlates thereof. Design: Cross-sectional. Participants: Sixty-nine hospital outpatients completed the questionnaire. Methods: Beliefs about the spread of cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy with physical contact, along with demographic, social, psychological, health-related characteristics were assessed by questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate analyses identified correlations between these beliefs and patient characteristics. Findings: A percentage (5.8%) believed their cancer could spread like an infection or be transmitted through sexual or nonsexual contact and 15.9% were unsure. Even more (13.0%) believed that chemotherapy could spread through sexual or nonsexual contact and 18.8% were unsure. Likewise, many believed (10.1%) that radiation therapy could spread through sexual or nonsexual contact and 21.7% were unsure. Obsessions with contamination were most strongly associated with such beliefs (B = 0.73, SE = 0.09, p < .0001). Conclusions: Beliefs about the spread of cancer or its treatments are not uncommon in Saudi Arabia, where cultural beliefs and tradition strongly influence healthcare decisions.