title: Relationships between perceived diagnostic disclosure, patient characteristics, psychological distress and illness perceptions in Indian cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Non-disclosure of a cancer diagnosis is a common practice in many Asian cultures where family-based medical decision making is the norm. The present study sought to compare Indian cancer patients who were aware versus unaware of their cancer diagnosis on a range of patient characteristics, levels of psychological distress and illness perceptions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 329 Indian cancer patients were interviewed about their understanding of their illness (to assess awareness of a cancer diagnosis) and administered the following measures: the modified Rotterdam Symptom Checklist, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Brief Illness Perceptions Questionnaire. Demographic and medical details were also obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over half of the sample (54.1%) was unaware of their cancer diagnosis. A logistic regression analysis predicting perceived diagnostic disclosure indicated that awareness of a cancer diagnosis was associated with being involved in medical decisions, receiving multiple treatments, longer treatment durations, greater perceived understanding of one's illness (illness coherence) and citing a cause for one's illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results highlight the importance of the context in which decisions about the patient's illness are made (e.g. by whom) as well as illness perceptions relating to patients' understanding of their illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Yeddumailaram, Andhrapradesh, India.
authors.forename: Mahati
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chittem
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001364:Awareness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure