Cancer is a disease feared by nearly everyone--young and old, people who have no direct experience with the disease but believe that they are at risk, and survivors concerned about a recurrence. Most behavioral research surrounding cancer has focused on non-affective factors such as perceived risk, but researchers are beginning to recognize that the way people feel--their affective reactions to cancer--plays an important role in what they do about the disease. This grant proposal deals with relationships between cognition (e.g., perceived risk), affect (e.g., worry; distress) and health-protective behaviors (e.g,, screening; smoking cessation). The overall purpose of this research is to test the feasibility and value of brief telephone therapy. We are testing the value of this approach for reducing distress and improving the quality of life for women diagnosed with Stages I-III breast cancer. I propose a five-year senior investigator award so that I may continue to develop the study of affect and self-protective behavior in the cancer arena. The award will release me from most of my teaching and service responsibilities. I plan to continue ongoing work studying coping among women diagnosed with breast cancer. In addition, I will seek new funding to address important basic and applied research questions such as: (a) how does worry affect self-protective behaviors (e.g., cancer screening) and how does worry as a construct differ from other affective responses to cancer (e.g., anxiety; depression; """"""""cancer concern"""""""")? (b) how do thoughts and feelings about recurrence affect self-protective actions among cancer survivors?, how does advertising (i.e., cigarette labeling) influence thoughts and feelings toward smoking among adolescents, and (d) can we create worry and thereby influence persons who need to take self-protective action (e.g., smokers)? In addition to addressing new and important research questions, the senior investigator award will provide additional time for mentoring activities. The investigator will serve in that capacity for clinical M.S. students with interests in health psychology and Ph.D. students in a health/social experimental psychology program at North Dakota State University in Health Psychology. Overall, this grant would enhance the investigator?s ability to conduct novel research in cancer prevention and control and to shepherd students through the process of becoming productive researchers in psychosocial aspects of cancer.
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