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The effects of physical functioning and public stigma on psychological distress as mediated by cognitive and social factors among Korean survivors of childhood cancer

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Title	The effects of physical functioning and public stigma on psychological distress as mediated by cognitive and social factors among Korean survivors of childhood cancer
Author	Kim, Min Ah
Author email	minahkim@usc.edu;minahkim.korea@gmail.com
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Document type	Dissertation
Degree program	Social Work
School	School of Social Work
Date defended/completed	2012-04-09
Date submitted	2012-07-10
Date approved	2012-07-10
Restricted until	2012-07-10
Date published	2012-07-10
Advisor (committee chair)	Yamada, Ann Marie
Advisor (committee member)	Brekke, John Chou, Chih-Ping
Abstract	The overall purpose of this dissertation is to examine cognitive and social mediators of psychological distress in Korean childhood cancer survivors. The four specific research aims are (1) to examine the overall prevalence of psychological distress and to compare the profile of cancer survivors with and without significant levels of psychological distress, (2) to examine perceived physical functioning and perceived public stigma as potential risk factors for psychological distress, taking into account possible sociodemographic and cancer-related correlates, (3) to test a model of the effects of perceived physical functioning and perceived public stigma on psychological distress as mediated through three cognitive and social factors, and (4) to examine gender differences within the mediated effects of perceived physical functioning and perceived public stigma on psychological distress. ❧ Participants consisted of 223 cancer survivors diagnosed before the age of 19 years and currently residing in the community in Korea. Participants were recruited through Korean advocacy foundations and support groups for adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer. Structured questionnaires were collected from June 2010 to November 2010 either by mail or email. The overall goodness of the structural model was tested and then total and specific indirect effects were tested by using bootstrap procedures in Mplus 6.12. ❧ The primary results showed an overall prevalence rate of approximately 20% for psychological distress. Perceived poorer physical functioning and higher levels of perceived public stigma were strong risk factors for psychological distress, while controlling for age, economic status, cancer type, and time since diagnosis. There was a significant mediated effect of perceived physical functioning on psychological distress through social support availability. There was also a significant mediated effect of perceived public stigma on psychological distress through internalized shame or social support availability, or through a chain of two mediators- self-disclosure and internalized shame. The mediated effect of perceived public stigma on psychological distress differed by gender. ❧ A greater understanding of the factors influencing the levels of psychological well-being could potentially help social workers and other professionals identify childhood cancer survivors in greater needs of psychosocial services and provide them with appropriate resources and interventions.
Keyword	adolescent and young adult; cancer survivors; childhood cancer; psychological distress
Language	English
Part of collection	University of Southern California dissertations and theses
Publisher (of the original version)	University of Southern California
Place of publication (of the original version)	Los Angeles, California
Publisher (of the digital version)	University of Southern California. Libraries
Provenance	Electronically uploaded by the author
Type	texts
Legacy record ID	usctheses-m
Rights	Kim, Min Ah
Access conditions	The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.
Repository name	University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository address	USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA
Repository email	cisadmin@usc.edu
Archival file	uscthesesreloadpub_Volume4/etd-KimMinAh-936.pdf