The Association Between History of Traumatic Events and Health-Related Quality of Life among Lung Cancer Patients.

Purpose:Promoting health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a primary goal of lung cancer treatment. Trauma history and distress can negatively impact HRQOL. Design:A cross-sectional design examined the associations of trauma history, cancer-specific distress, and HRQOL. Sample/Method:Sixty lung cancer patients completed questionnaires on trauma history including the number and severity of traumatic events experienced. Cancer-specific distress, HRQOL, and depression were also reported. Findings:As hypothesized, trauma history and cancer-specific distress were negatively associated with HRQOL (allr's> -.27). Depression emerged as a confound in the association between cancer-specific distress and HRQOL. Conclusions:Retrospectively-reported trauma was linked with poorer HRQOL in lung cancer patients. Implications:Interventions aimed at improving lung cancer patients' HRQOL should consider the possible role of trauma history (both frequency and distress).