title: The role of illness perceptions: psychological distress and treatment-seeking delay in patients with genital warts.
abstract: This study examined the relationships between illness perceptions, psychological distress and treatment-seeking delay in genital warts patients. Sixty-six genital warts patients were approached while attending a sexual health clinic. They completed a questionnaire assessing their illness perceptions, psychological distress and treatment-seeking delay. Negative perceptions of illness consequences and control and a perceived cyclical timeline were associated with increased psychological distress. Perceived illness consequences maintained significance in a multiple regression equation, which accounted for 25% variance in distress. Depression was associated with treatment-seeking delay (r = 0.28, P = 0.03). In conclusion, illness perceptions may play an important role in the experience of psychological distress in genital warts patients. The implications of these findings for the design of health-care interventions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Juliet A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ireland
authors.forename: Murray
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Keith J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Petrie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003218:Condylomata Acuminata / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003863:Depression; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy