Purpose
Cancer survivors face a high risk of developing secondary cancers; thus, they should consider their primary cancer experiences as signals to adopt secondary cancer-preventive behaviors. This study examined the mediating effect of perceived threat in the relationship between cue to action and such behaviors and identified the gender effect as a moderator in breast and colorectal cancer survivors. Methods: A total of 505 cancer survivors (253 with breast cancer and 252 with colorectal cancer) participated in this study. These participants were involved in cancer-related physical activities at the outpatient oncology clinic of a tertiary teaching hospital in Korea. Participants completed structured, self-administered questionnaires, and a PROCESS macro was utilized to analyze the mediating effect of perceived threat. Results: Cue to action positively affected perceived threat (B=0.38, p <.001). Additionally, both cue to action (B=0.20, p=.047) and perceived threat (B=1.28, p<.001) positively influenced secondary cancer-preventive behaviors. In the relationship between cue to action and these behaviors, perceived threat explained 30.0% of the variance. Gender was supported as a moderator in the relationship between cue to action and perceived threat. A bootstrap analysis confirmed the mediating effect of perceived threat. Conclusion: Perceived threat can help cancer survivors understand the risk and seriousness of secondary cancer, thereby strengthening the relationship between cue to action and secondary cancer-preventive behaviors. Healthcare providers should provide accurate information as a cue to cancer survivors, enabling them to recognize the risk of secondary cancer.

Citations

• Factors impacting breast cancer survivors' performance of annual follow-up mammograms: A nationally representative study.
  Safa Elkefi, Alicia K. Matthews
  Patient Education and Counseling.2025; 130: 108428.     CrossRef
• Chinese undergraduates' mental health help-seeking behavior: the health belief model
  Haojing Wang, Zhuowen Feng, Zitong Zheng, Jiachen Yang
  Frontiers in Psychology.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef

PURPOSE
According to Lazarus & Folkman (1984), appraising a stressor as a threat is associated with negative psychological and physical adjustment, whereas appraising a stressor as a challenge is positive psychological and physical adjustment. This study examined how cognitive appraisal of PTCA(heart disease threat and treatment appraisal) related to the cardiac risk reduction behaviors(smoking cessation, low salt and low cholesterol diet, regular exercise and stress management) 6 weeks following discharge. METHOD: Data were collected from 50 subjects with successful primary PTCA. RESULT: Heart disease threat was negative related to treatment appraisal (r=-0.240, p=0.046). Psychological well-being was negative related to heart disease threat (r=-0.317, p=0.012) and positive related to treatment appraisal(r=0.402, p=0.002). The cardiac risk reduction behaviors score was negative related to heart disease threat(r= -0.296, p=0.018) and positive related to treatment appraisal(r=-0.291, p=0.020). CONCLUSION: More negative appraisal was related to lower the cardiac risk reduction behaviors score. But more positive appraisal was related to higher the cardiac risk reduction behaviors score. So, there is a need to develop the cognitive-behavioral intevention that increase the coping strategy to replace with positive appraisal.