Lung cancer stigma, depression, and quality of life among ever and never smokers

Abstract Purpose In 2010, lung cancer is expected to be the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. Because survival rates are increasing, an evaluation of the effects of treatment on quality of life (QOL) is an important outcome measure. In other diseases, stigma is known to have a negative impact on health status and QOL and be amenable to intervention. This is the first study to compare levels of lung cancer stigma (LCS) and relationships between LCS, depression, and QOL in ever and never smokers. Method A total of 192 participants with a self-report diagnosis of lung cancer completed questionnaires online. Results Strong associations in the expected directions, were found between LCS and depression ( r = 0.68, p