Title
Epistemic Beliefs: Relationship to Future Expectancies and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2022
Publication Title
Journal of pain and symptom management
Keywords
JMG, Adaptation, Psychological, Humans, Knowledge, Neoplasms, Quality of Life, Regression Analysis
JAX Source
J Pain Symptom Manage 2022 Apr; 63(4):512-521
Volume
63
Issue
4
First Page
512
Last Page
521
ISSN
1873-6513
PMID
34952170
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.12.017
Abstract
CONTEXT: Expectations about the future (future expectancies) are important determinants of psychological well-being among cancer patients, but the strategies patients use to maintain positive and cope with negative expectancies are incompletely understood.
OBJECTIVES: To obtain preliminary evidence on the potential role of one strategy for managing future expectancies: the adoption of "epistemic beliefs" in fundamental limits to medical knowledge.
METHODS: A sample of 1307 primarily advanced-stage cancer patients participating in a genomic tumor testing study in community oncology practices completed measures of epistemic beliefs, positive future expectancies, and mental and physical health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Descriptive and linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationships between these factors and test two hypotheses: 1) epistemic beliefs affirming fundamental limits to medical knowledge ("fallibilistic epistemic beliefs") are associated with positive future expectancies and mental HRQOL, and 2) positive future expectancies mediate this association.
RESULTS: Participants reported relatively high beliefs in limits to medical knowledge (M = 2.94, s.d.=.67) and positive future expectancies (M = 3.01, s.d.=.62) (range 0-4), and relatively low mental and physical HRQOL. Consistent with hypotheses, fallibilistic epistemic beliefs were associated with positive future expectancies (b = 0.11, SE=.03, P< 0.001) and greater mental HRQOL (b = 0.99, SE=.34, P = 0.004); positive expectancies also mediated the association between epistemic beliefs and mental HRQOL (Sobel Z=4.27, P<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Epistemic beliefs in limits to medical knowledge are associated with positive future expectancies and greater mental HRQOL; positive expectancies mediate the association between epistemic beliefs and HRQOL. More research is needed to confirm these relationships and elucidate their causal mechanisms.
Recommended Citation
Han, Paul K J; Scharnetzki, Elizabeth; Anderson, Eric; DiPalazzo, John; Strout, Tania D; Gutheil, Caitlin; Lucas, F Lee; Edelman, Emily A; and Rueter, Jens, "Epistemic Beliefs: Relationship to Future Expectancies and Quality of Life in Cancer Patients." (2022). Faculty Research 2022. 107.
https://mouseion.jax.org/stfb2022/107
Comments
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license