Psychological enquiry: a contribution to cancer research

Greer, Steven

doi:10.1017/s0033291700021589

Cited by 35 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 66 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…Childhood and adult life 'unhappiness' was reported statistically significantly more often in cases than in controls. These were interesting findings consistent with the concept that cancer prone patients are more likely to have experienced object losses or to perceive their past life experiences in a more negative way than controls (Bahnson, 1976(Bahnson, , 1980Greer 1979;Bremond et al 1986;Cooper et al 1986).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Questions 6-22 of the questionnaire are designed to test this model. The minor hypothesis tested is that object loss and 'unhappiness', that is, the carrying of past loss and sadness in childhood, adult life or after retirement, is associated with the development of cancer (Bahnson, 1976(Bahnson, , 1980Greer, 1979). The minor hypothesis is tested in questions 1-5 of the questionnaire.…”

Section: Aims and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Personality as a risk factor in large bowel cancer: data from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study

Kune

Watson

et al. 1991

Psychol. Med.

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SYNOPSISIn a case control study which formed one arm of a large, population-based investigation of colorectal cancer incidence, aetiology and survival, ‘The Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study’, among others, 22 psychosocially orientated questions were asked by personal interview of 637 histologically confirmed new cases of colorectal cancer and 714 age/sex frequency matched community controls, from Melbourne (population 2·81 million). Self-reported childhood or adult life ‘unhappiness’ was statistically significantly more common among the cancer cases, while ‘unhappiness with retirement’ was similarly distributed among cases and controls. Questions which were formulated to test a particular personality profile as a cancer risk, and which included the elements of denial and repression of anger and of other negative emotions, a commitment to prevailing social norms resulting in the external appearance of a ‘nice’ or ‘good’ person, a suppression of reactions which may offend others and the avoidance of conflict, showed a statistically significant discrimination between cases and controls. The risk of colorectal cancer with respect to this model was independent of the previously found risk factors of diet, beer intake, and family history of colorectal cancer, and was also independent of other potential confounding factors of socioeconomic level, marital status, religion and country of birth. Although the results must be interpreted with caution, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that this personality type may play a role in the clinical expression of colorectal cancer and was also independent of other potential confounding factors of socioeconomic level, marital status, religion and country of birth. Although the results must be interpreted with caution, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that this personality type may play a role in the clinical expression of colorectal cancer and merits further study.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Aims and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality as a risk factor in large bowel cancer: data from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study

Kune

Watson

et al. 1991

Psychol. Med.

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“…Rodin (1980) and Ostfeld (1983) have noted a relationship between depression and a shorter life expectancy. Greer (1979) found in 160 women investigated because of a lump in the breast that suppressed anger was associated with malignancy and raised IgA levels.…”

Section: Depression Causing Disabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression and disability in the elderly: Reciprocal relations and changes with age

Gurland¹,

Wilder²,

Berkman³

1988

Int J Geriat Psychiatry

172

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“…The role of personality factors in the occurrence of cancer has also been studied (4). The person-specific way of responding to psychosocial stress may be related to deficiencies in the immune system and, consequently, to the susceptibility to cancer (6,8,26). Migration to a new social and cultural environment, where previous patterns of behaviour are no longer applicable, may induce long-lasting psychosocial stress (14).…”

Section: Risk Determinants Of Cancer 71mentioning

confidence: 99%

Migration, Marital Status and Smoking as Risk Determinants of Cancer

Tenkanen

Teppo

1987

Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine

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To study the importance of migration to urban area, marital status and smoking as risk factors in cancer, a cohort of 4,475 Finnish men was followed up for the occurrence of cancer during the period 1964-1980. Of particular interest was the interaction of migration or marital status with smoking. For cancers at all sites, not married urbanized smoking men had the greatest risk, followed by not married native urban smokers. This pattern was mainly due to high risk of cancers of the lung and larynx among the urbanized men, with a risk peak among urbanized not married smokers. The pattern persisted even when the amount smoked was allowed for. The importance in lung cancer epidemiology of vitamin A deficiency, occupation and psychosocial stress was discussed, and some support was found for the role of psychosocial stress in both the migration and the marital status factors.

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Psychological enquiry: a contribution to cancer research

Cited by 35 publications

References 66 publications

Personality as a risk factor in large bowel cancer: data from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study

Personality as a risk factor in large bowel cancer: data from the Melbourne Colorectal Cancer Study

Depression and disability in the elderly: Reciprocal relations and changes with age

Migration, Marital Status and Smoking as Risk Determinants of Cancer

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