The Gerontologist, Vol 37, Issue 5 598-608, Copyright © 1997 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

The treatment decision-making process: age differences in a sample of women recently diagnosed with nonrecurrent, early-stage breast cancer

AC Petrisek, LL Laliberte, SM Allen and V Mor
Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

This research utilizes retrospective, self-report data collected from a nonprobability sample of women recently diagnosed with nonrecurrent, early-stage breast cancer to better understand how the treatment decision-making process varies with patient age. Three important areas-- context, decision-making style, and influencing factors--are examined using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Findings indicate that although patients recalled similar contextual attributes, they reported attitudes, behavior, and considerations that differed by age. Older women were less likely than their younger counterparts to have desired participation in therapy selection, sought out medical information, or considered the possibility of recurrence when making treatment decisions.

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