EXTENDING A GROUNDED THEORY: THE LATENT STRUCTURE OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER MEN WITH NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER.
Contributors: University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 193
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Gerontology.
Description: Statement of the problem. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality and is primarily a disease of older adults. Quality of life has particular importance for patients with lung cancer, because treatment seldom offers cure. Major issues in the progress of quality of life research are the notable absence of theory and theoretical models and the lack of research on older adults with cancer.

Theoretical framework. The theoretical framework for this research was a grounded theory of quality of life. The theory was induced from an earlier study of older hospice participants with advanced cancer. This study is the second stage in a process of qualitative to quantitative sequential triangulation.

Results. This research tested and reformulated an a priori model. LISREL confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine the latent structure of quality of life in data from men (n = 87) over 60 (mean = 69.3 years $\pm$ 5.8) with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). The final model of quality of life had two first order factors (Physical Comfort and Function) and one second order factor (Quality of Life). The Global Quality of Life Scale ($\lambda$ = 1.00) was a direct indicator of the second order factor Quality of Life. Pain ($\lambda$ = 1.00) and Dyspnea ($\lambda$ = 0.90) contributed to the first order factor, Physical Comfort. Physical Function ($\lambda$ = 1.00), Role Function ($\lambda$ = 0.99), and Emotional Function ($\lambda$ = 0.60) contributed to the first order factor, Function. There was an inverse relationship between Physical Comfort ($\beta$ = $-$0.18) and Physical Function, and between Physical Comfort ($\gamma$ = $-$1.02) and Quality of Life. There was a direct relationship between Function ($\gamma$ = 1.10) and Quality of Life. The final model Goodness-of-Fit Index was 0.97.

Conclusions. This study provides theoretical support for the common assumption that pain control is related to quality of life in patients with cancer; furthermore, control of symptoms enables function, and both symptom control and function contribute to quality of life. These results can be generalized to older men with lung cancer; the results have particular relevance for patients with advanced disease. This study was funded by the H.W. Durham Foundation, Memphis, Tennessee, Grant No. G93017.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-02, Section: B, page: 0746.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE CENTER FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES, 1994.

School code: 0783.