Quantitative and qualitative aspects of cancer knowledge - comparing hypochondriacal subjects and healthy controls.

An exploratory study of cancer knowledge in hypochondriacal subjects (n = 27) and matched controls (n = 27) is presented. Both quantity and quality of knowledge were investigated; i.e. whether hypochondriacal subjects were better able to discriminate between cancer warning signs and non-warning signs using the Knowledge of Cancer Warnings Signs Inventory (Berman and Wandersman, 1991). than controls. Also, level of cancer knowl edge in general was measured using the recently developed Cancer Knowledge Questionnaire (CKQ). Differential effects of threatening versus reassuring information were also studied. Results showed that hypochondriacal subjects were more likely to falsely identify non-warning signs as cancer warning signs than control subjects. Groups did not differ in general level of cancer knowledge. High health anxiety subjects agreed with threatening statements more often than non-hypochondriacal subjects. Hypochondriacal subjects' general coping style was characterized by more information seeking and less information avoiding. Implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]