Semi-structured interview goals included: 1) allowing patients to describe in their own words the degree to which they may or may not have experienced stigma; 2) exploring the role that smoking history plays in stigma, and 3) investigating stigma’s impact on emotional adjustment, interpersonal communication, and treatment-related behavior. In preparation for the individual interviews, an interview framework was developed to guide discussions. Notably, so as to allow patients to discuss their concerns with minimal investigator intrusion, the word “stigma” was not introduced in the interviews unless the participant mentioned it first or during the interview debriefing (see Appendix for Interview Guide).
Of the 54 patients who were deemed eligible by the treating medical oncologist and approached by research staff, 42 (78%) participated in an individual interview (patient characteristics in Table 1, left column). The most commonly stated reason for refusal among the other 12 eligible patients was lack of time. Interviews were conducted in private rooms by the Principal Investigator (HAH), a health psychologist with training and experience in oncology settings. The interviewer did not have any pre-existing relationships with the participants. A professional service transcribed the audio-recorded interviews verbatim. Investigators ceased recruitment upon achieving thematic saturation in interview analysis [37 (link), 38 (link)].