Comparison of health locus of control in oncological and non-oncological patients

Aim of the study
The aim of the study was to investigate whether there are differences in the various dimensions of the health locus of control between oncological and non-oncological patients and to determine whether there is a relationship between the level of health locus of control and the type, duration of disease and gender.

Material and methods
The study was conducted at the Department of Hematology and the 1st Department of Cardiology of the University Hospital in Krakow. 204 patients were enrolled. Our own questionnaire developed for this purpose and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale were used. The US normalization group and the Polish standardization groups of the chronically ill patients were used for comparative analysis.

Results
Analysis showed significant differences between women and men in the Internal control scale (p < 0.02). The respondents from both groups showed lower scores in the Internal locus of control and much higher scores in the dimension Powerful Others. In the group of oncological patients, a negative correlation was found between the Internal scale of health locus of control and the duration of the disease (p = 0.007). There was a significant difference between oncological and non-oncological patients in the Powerful Others scale (p < 0.004).

Conclusions
The results suggest that oncologically ill patients could be more convinced that others are responsible for their health when compared to non-oncological patients. The longer the disease persists in oncological patients, the weaker is their internal motivation to achieve good treatment results.