Research questions

  1. What is the relationship between worry about test results and fear of cancer recurrence/progression (FCRP)?
    • H1: worry will be positively associated with FCRP
  2. What factors predict both worry about test results and FCRP?
    • H2: Clinical and psychological factors will be associated with both worry and FCRP:
      • Clinical factors: stage, shorter time since treatment completion
      • Psychological factors: lower belief in cure, less advanced epistemic beliefs, lower hope, lower coping (individual strategies)
  3. How do both uncertainty about cancer recurrence/progression and uncertainty about cure relate to worry about test results, fear of cancer recurrence/progression (FCRP), and hope?
    • H3: Both uncertainty about cancer recurrence/progression and uncertainty about cure will be negatively associated with worry and FCRP, and positively associated with hope (i.e., suggesting a fear-reducing and hope-promoting effect of greater uncertainty)
  4. How do epistemic beliefs (beliefs in the limitations of medical knowledge) influence the relationships between uncertainty about cancer recurrence/progression and both worry and FCRP?
    • H4: Epistemic beliefs will moderate the relationship between uncertainty about cancer recurrence/progression and both worry and FCRP; more advanced epistemic beliefs will be associated with a less positive relationship between uncertainty and both worry and FCRP

Constructs

  1. Worry about test results (Worry interference scale)
  2. Fear of cancer recurrence/progression (FCRP)
    • FCRP scale (2 items)
    • Uncertainty about cancer recurrence/progression
  3. Belief in cure
    • Possibility of cure
    • Likelihood of cure
    • Uncertainty about cure
  4. Hope (Herth Hope Index)
  5. Advanced epistemic beliefs (belief in unknowability)
  6. Coping (Brief COPE scale items)
    • Acceptance
    • Emotional support
    • Disengagement
    • Information seeking
    • Complementary medicine
    • Planning
    • Reframing