Connaughton, Tanaya (2021) The Effects of Depression, Anxiety and Stress on Barriers to Bowel Cancer Screening. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
In Australia, approximately 5000 people die from bowel cancer every year. Early detection for bowel cancer is key, with up to 90% of cases recovering due to early treatment. However, participation in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program in Australia is suboptimal, with a 43.5% participation rate. Research has identified perceived barriers to screening which include avoidance, disgust, difficulty in completing the test kit and a perceived lack of autonomy. Research has also found that depression, anxiety and stress all predict poor health behaviours and may influence perceived barriers to screening. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress, as measured by the Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), predicted higher levels of specific barriers to bowel cancer screening – avoidance and disgust, as measured by the Barriers to Bowel Cancer Screening Scale (BB-CanS). Research in this area is helping to fill the gap in the literature regarding psychological factors and poor adherence to cancer screening programs. Using a cross-sectional online survey, a convenience sample of 210 Australian adults between the ages of 50 – 74 years old were recruited. Results revealed a nonsignificant relationship between depression, anxiety and stress to avoidance. Results also revealed a small, positive relationship between depression and anxiety to disgust, however, after controlling for age these relationships were no longer significant. Post hoc investigation identified that anxiety had a small, significant positive relationship with physical difficulty in completing screening kits. This research can help with the development of targeted interventions and screening tools to help individuals overcome barriers and participate in screening.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Historic - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling (1 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2021) |
| Supervisors: | Michael Ireland; Belinda Goodwin |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Jul 2025 04:23 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Jul 2025 04:23 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | bowel cancer screening ; NBCSP compliance ; depression ; anxiety ; stress |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52221 |
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