Psychological Factors of Early Diagnosis of Malignant Neoplasms of the Most Common Localizations (On the Example of Lung Cancer and Stomach Cancer)1

ABSTRACT

Introduction. Solving the problem of survival and effectiveness of treatment of patients with malignant neoplasms, improving their quality of life is a national goal and a strategic task for the development of the Russian Federation. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has imposed restrictions on many areas of people's lives, including healthcare, the number of cancer detections in the late stages of the disease has increased tremendously. This trend will inevitably lead to an increase in the number of cancer patients, as well as mortality. The aim of this study is to identify psychological factors associated with early detection of lung cancer and gastric cancer. Materials and methods. Methods for diagnosing psychological predictors of early diagnosis of lung cancer and stomach cancer were survey methods: the scale of world assumptions, Janoff-Bulman R., adaptation of M. A. Padun, A. V. Kotelnikova;methodology of the Level of subjective control (E. F. Bazhin, E. A. Golynkina, L. M. Etkind);Life Orientation Test, Scheier M. F., Carver C. S, adapted by Tsiring D. A., Evnina K. Yu.), Hardiness Survey, S. Maddi, adapted by D. Leontiev). As methods for quantitative processing of empirical data methods of descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, discriminant analysis. The design of the study involves the analysis of the psychological characteristics of patients with lung cancer (N=26) and stomach cancer (N=32) at various stages of the disease. Results. According to the data obtained, early diagnosis of patients with gastric cancer depends on coping behavior, in particular strategies such as taking responsibility and planning to solve the problem. These coping behaviors are adaptive, encouraging patients to use more adaptive coping mechanisms. Also, according to the data obtained, early diagnosis of patients with lung cancer depends on the locus of control in the field of interpersonal relationships (internal locus of control), low pain intensity and its impact on the ability to engage in daily activities, features of coping behavior, in particular, the lack of a confrontation strategy. Conclusion. The results of the study of psychological predictors of early diagnosis of gastric cancer and lung cancer revealed specific psychological predictors for each localization of malignant neoplasms. A more complete understanding of the psychological factors of early cancer diagnosis may be useful for understanding how psychological personality traits can affect the timeliness of patients seeking cancer treatment, the provision of psychological and supportive services to cancer patients at various stages of the disease, and the identification of patients at risk who are prone to late cancer. seeking oncological treatment.