Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 483
To determine if CAM users were more autonomous than non-users with respect to problem solving and decision making (PSDM) preferences.
A survey was mailed to a random sample of 696 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in Ontario, Canada. The key outcome measure analysed was the PSDM scale: respondents were classified as passive, shared or autonomous. Bivariate tests and logistic regression were used to assess the relationships between CAM use/non-use and PSDM preferences.
The final survey response was 78.8%. Almost one-third of the respondents reported using CAM for their prostate cancer. Only a very small percentage of CAM users (and non-users) were classified as autonomous. The majority of men (CAM users and non-users) were classified as preferring a shared PSDM role and a substantial minority were classified as preferring a passive role. There was no statistically significant difference between CAM users and non-users with respect to their PSDM categorisation. However, CAM users were over three times more likely to have an autonomous preference than non-users. The regression model suggests that three characteristics are significantly associated with men’s PSDM preferences: CAM use, Internal Control subscale of Locus of Control and income. Education, country of birth, first language, age and support group attendance were not significant.
The hypothesis that CAM users are more autonomous problem solvers and decision makers is only partially supported by these findings. Very few CAM users have an autonomous PSDM preference; however, CAM users are more likely to have an autonomous preference than non-users.
