Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Psychology

Major Professor

Kristin Kosyluk, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Lauren C. Heathcote, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Dinorah Martinez Tyson, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Brent Small, Ph.D.

Keywords

adolescents and young adults, cancer, media, Stigma

Abstract

As childhood cancer survival rates climb to new records, it is increasingly important to focus on improving the psychological wellbeing of survivors living years beyond their diagnosis. One potential contributor to psychological distress for childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) is stigma. The fear of stigma can lead to CCSs concealing their identity as a CCS, which in turn can strain workplace and intimate relationships, creating a strain on CCSs’ social and work life. Additionally, the internalization of negative stereotypes or rejection of falsely positive stereotypes around cancer can exacerbate psychological distress. To establish what stereotypes and stigma CCS might be contending with, this dissertation aims to generate an initial understanding of childhood cancer stereotypes in the general public. This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts, connected by the overarching investigation of childhood cancer stereotypes. The first study uses the freelist technique to explore the cultural domain of childhood cancer in college students. In the second study, participants were randomly assigned to read one of two articles, where a child either survived or did not survive childhood cancer. Participants completed measures of stigma and entertainment-education before and after reading the article. The third study examined the psychometric properties of a measure of cancer-related family stigma. Jointly, these studies found that stereotypes, especially those that were more stigmatizing, tended to reflect media portrayals of pediatric cancer. Overall, this dissertation contributes to building a theoretical foundation of cancer-related stigma and offers a potential avenue for addressing it.

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