Men with prostate cancer: influence of psychological factors on informational needs and decision making

Objectives: Studies indicate that men with prostate cancer (MPC) adopt pass ive roles in cancer management; however, increasing public awareness of pro state cancer and advocacy by MPC and their allies suggest otherwise. This s tudy looks at the information that is important to MPC; their preferred par ticipation in decision making; and the influence of sociodemographic, disea se, and psychological factors on information needs and decision preferences . Method: Consecutive men diagnosed with prostate cancer and attending two tertiary care cancer clinics completed questionnaires on information needs and decision preferences. Questions included demographic information, healt h and disease status, psychosocial functioning, optimism, and decisional pr eferences and information preferences for content, type, focus, format, and amount. Results: Questionnaires were completed by 101 MPC. Their mean age was 70 years and most were married and well-educated Over 70% wanted detail ed information at all illness stages focusing on their disease, treatment, survival, self-care, and empowerment. Over 60% of MPC wanted shared decisio n making with their physician. Psychological variables were found to influe nce information needs but not involvement in decision making. Conclusion: T hese results represent a challenge to health-care providers for accomodatin g the informational needs and decision preferences of individual MPC. (C) 2 000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.