Cancer-Related Stigmatization, Quality of Life, and Fear of Death Among Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients

Sarfraz M.; Waqas H.; Ahmed S.; Rurush-Asencio R.; Mushtaque I. · Omega (United States) (2025) · DOI: 10.1177/00302228221140650

Resumen

The purpose of the study is to investigate the gender differences among newly diagnosed cancer patients from the cultural perspective of Pakistan. The data comprised two equal groups: men (50%) and women (50%). Most participants were 31–45 years old, and the duration of the cancer diagnosis was less than 6 months (74.6%). The data was collected on the following scales: the discrimination and stigma scale, the internalized stigma scale, the WHO-quality of life scale, and the fear of death scale. Data was analyzed using SPSS v.25; descriptive statistics, an independent sample t-test, and simple linear regression were applied to the data. The results revealed that men and women are both experiencing cancer-related stigmatization in Pakistan. However, women face a higher level of stigmatization, lower quality of life, and higher fear of death than men. Furthermore, the regression analysis result confirms that the cancer-related stigma faced by the diagnosed patients decreases the patient’s quality of life and induces the fear of death. © The Author(s) 2022.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo