A Psychometric Assessment of the Stigma Associated with Lung Cancer

Full Title

Psychometric Assessment of the Lung Cancer Stigma Inventory (LCSI)


Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. This association has led to significant blame and perceptions that people with lung cancer somehow “deserve” their illness. This stigma may make some people with lung cancer feel shameful or guilty, which can impact their ability to communicate with their doctors or advocate for their care.

The purpose of this study is to better understand the thoughts and feelings of people with lung cancer. Researchers will use the results to develop a new survey that will allow them to measure some of the negative feelings sometimes reported by people with lung cancer. Ultimately, this new survey will be used to evaluate the potential benefit of new support programs for patients with lung cancer.


This study includes English-speaking adults who are going through lung cancer treatment or who went through lung cancer treatment within the year prior to entering the study.






Atkinson, Thomas, PhD