PSYCHOSOCIAL IMPACT OF LARYNGECTOMY MEDIATED BY PERCEIVED STIGMA AND ILLNESS INTRUSIVENESS

In addition to prolonging life, successful treatment by laryngectomy a lso results in functional disability (loss of speech) and physical dis figurement (stoma). It was hypothesized that these after-effects contr ibute to perceived stigma which, in turn, compromises quality of life. The hypothesis that the psychosocial impact of perceived stigma opera tes through illness intrusiveness - illness-induced disruptions that i nterfere with continued involvements in valued activities and interest s - was tested. Data were collected from 51 laryngectomy recipients vi a standardized interviews. As hypothesized, results indicated that: 1. both perceived stigma and illness intrusiveness are related to psycho social well-being and emotional distress; 2. illness intrusiveness med iates the relation between perceived stigma and psychosocial outcomes; 3. the psychosocial impact of illness intrusiveness is most devastati ng in the context of highly stigmatized self-perception; and 4. unique profiles of illness intrusiveness across individual life domains may be associated with specific psychosocial outcomes. Findings are discus sed in relation to the hypothesis that illness intrusiveness is a comm on underlying determinant of the psychosocial impact of chronic illnes s.