Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021;39(3):366-384.
doi: 10.1080/07347332.2021.1887430. Epub 2021 Apr 22.

Cancer survivors' perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 and impacts on cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to the pandemic

Elizabeth T Slivjak , MA  1 , Joel N Fishbein , MA  1 , Madeline Nealis , MPH  1 , Sarah J Schmiege , PhD  2 , Joanna J Arch , PhD  1   3
Affiliations

Cancer survivors' perceived vulnerability to COVID-19 and impacts on cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses to the pandemic

Elizabeth T Slivjak , MA et al. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2021.

Abstract

Study objectives: Given the uncertainty COVID-19 has caused for individuals with prior medical conditions, we examined the extent to which cancer survivors consider themselves at risk for the global COVID-19 pandemic (henceforth COVID), both in general and due to their cancer history. Additionally, we evaluated whether perceived vulnerability to COVID among cancer survivors predicts their cognitive/affective and behavioral responses to the pandemic.

Design/sample: Cancer survivors who completed primary cancer treatment (median months since treatment = 33.00) and were enrolled in prior behavioral trials with our research team (N = 146) completed two surveys in May-July 2020 (95.89% retention).

Methods: Participants rated perceived next-year risk of infection and of dying from COVID. We adapted established scales to assess perceived vulnerability to COVID generally versus as a cancer survivor, catastrophizing about possible COVID symptoms, COVID-related contamination fears, and adherence to COVID prevention behaviors.

Findings: In May 2020, on a 1-100 scale with 0 = no chance and 100 = definitely will occur, cancer survivors reported a chance in the next year of contracting COVID of M = 39.94 (SD = 23.90), and dying from COVID of M = 24.46 (SD = 24.84). Cancer survivors reported somewhat greater vulnerability to COVID compared to same-aged peers, increased contamination fears, and high adherence to COVID prevention measures. Similar findings emerged six weeks later, suggesting stability over time. In simple linear regression models, both general and cancer survivor-specific perceived COVID vulnerability predicted COVID symptom catastrophizing and contamination fears; in multivariable models, only general vulnerability remained a significant predictor. General perceived vulnerability and contamination fears predicted greater adherence to COVID prevention behaviors.

Conclusions: Cancer survivors perceived elevated vulnerability to COVID even years after treatment, which predicted adherence to COVID prevention behaviors. Future research should identify the optimal balance between supporting cancer survivors' concerns and minimizing negative impacts on quality of life.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; cancer; cancer survivorship; contamination; coronavirus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Lara OD, O'Cearbhaill RE, Smith MJ, et al. COVID-19 outcomes of patients with gynecologic cancer in New York City. Cancer 2020;126(19):4294–4303. doi:10.1002/cncr.33084 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liang W, Guan W, Chen R, et al. Cancer patients in SARS-CoV-2 infection: A nationwide analysis in China. Lancet Oncol 2020;21(3):335–337. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(20)30096-6 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhang L, Zhu F, Xie L, et al. Clinical characteristics of COVID-19-infected cancer patients: A retrospective case study in three hospitals within Wuhan. Ann Oncol. 2020;31(7):894–839. doi:10.1016/j.annonc.2020.03.296 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with certain medical conditions; 2020b. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-....
    1. Laubmeier KK, Zakowski SG. The role of objective versus perceived life threat in the psychological adjustment to cancer. Psychol Health 2004;19(4):425–437. doi:10.1080/0887044042000196719 - DOI

Publication types