Psychological Distress in Women With Abnormal Pap Smear Results Attending Cervical Cancer Screening

Abstract

Objective Women often experience psychological distress upon receipt of an abnormal Pap test result. This study aimed to evaluate psychological distress and its correlates among women who received an abnormal Pap screening test result. Material and Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in a cohort of 172 consecutive women who had attended screening for cervical cancer and who received abnormal Pap smear results and underwent additional diagnostic procedures (colposcopy/biopsy/endocervical curettage). The participants filled out a questionnaire on sociodemographic variables and the Cervical Dysplasia Distress Questionnaire. Multivariate linear regression was used for the analysis of the data. For multiple comparisons, the Bonferroni correction was applied to adjust the level of significance. Results In women who received an abnormal Pap smear result, the independent correlate of higher psychological distress (by Cervical Dysplasia Distress Questionnaire score) before diagnostic procedures was lower satisfaction with information/support received from other people (p = .002). Correlates of psychological distress in women older than 40 years with abnormal Pap smear were anxiety (p = .042) and worry about having cervical cancer, general health and having sex (p = .044). Conclusions The authors’ findings could enable control of factors predictive of psychological distress in women who received a positive Pap smear screening test before undergoing diagnostic procedures, primarily via active provision of targeted information.