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Objectives: To examine if baseline stigma predicts psychological distress at 3 and 6 months follow‐up among patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer. Methods: This longitudinal study was nested within a larger randomised controlled trial. Eligible participants were recruited via respiratory and oncology out‐patient clinics in Australia (n = 194). Consenting participants were asked to complete surveys at baseline, 3 and 6 months post‐recruitment. Measures included lung cancer stigma (Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale) and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire‐12 [GHQ‐12]). Results: One‐hundred and ninety‐four participants were included for analysis. Most were male (57.7%) with a mean age of 68 years (SD = 8.8). A significant relationship between baseline lung cancer stigma and psychological distress at 6 months was found, where a one unit increase in lung cancer stigma increases psychological distress by 0.044 when adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, baseline GHQ‐12 scores and intervention allocation (as part of the larger trial; p = 0.001; β = 0.044, 95% CI = 0.010, 0.079). Conclusion: Temporal links between lung cancer stigma and psychological distress was found at 6 months, suggesting stigma‐related experiences may have a delayed impact. Development of routine lung cancer stigma assessments is recommended to identify those at risk of psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To investigate perceived stigma and its possible associations with treatment expectations and preferences in newly diagnosed patients with lung cancer. SAMPLE & SETTING: 274 patients with lung cancer diagnosed in the previous four months at oncology and respiratory outpatient clinics in Australia. METHODS & VARIABLES: Participants completed a self-report survey about perceived lung cancer stigma and treatment expectations and preferences. RESULTS: A mean perceived stigma score of 52 of a possible 124 was reported, which is lower than scores reported in other studies using the same measure; the current study determined that perceived lung cancer stigma was observed less frequently. Significantly higher scores were observed in participants who were younger or who had a history of smoking. Perceived lung cancer stigma was significantly related to treatment expectations. No relationship was found between perceived lung cancer stigma and treatment preferences. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Healthcare providers are in a key position to provide support and communicate empathetically with patients to minimize potential stigma experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study explored help-seeking behaviours, group identification, and perceived legitimacy of discrimination, and its potential relationship with perceived lung cancer stigma.Methods: Consecutive consenting adults (n = 274) with a primary diagnosis of lung cancer within the previous 4 months were recruited at 31 outpatient clinics in Australia. A self-report survey assessed help-seeking, group identification, perceived legitimacy of discrimination, and perceived lung cancer stigma.Results: Services providing assistance from health professionals (69.5%) and informational support (68.5%) were more frequently used than emotional-based support. Only a small proportion (2.6%) of participants were unlikely to seek help from anyone, with the most popular sources of help being the general practitioner (91.0%), and oncologist/treating clinician (81.3%). One-fifth (21.1%) indicated they identified with being a lung cancer patient, and most did not perceive discrimination against lung cancer patients. Higher perceived lung cancer stigma was significantly associated with greater perceived legitimacy of discrimination (P < 0.001), but not help-seeking behaviours or group identification.Conclusions: The relationship between lung cancer stigma and perceived legitimacy of discrimination may guide initiatives to reduce stigma for patients. It is encouraging that perceived stigma did not appear to inhibit help-seeking behaviours. However, further research in this emerging field is needed to investigate patterns of perceived stigma and help-seeking over time to identify how and when to offer support services most appropriate to the needs of lung cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]