High Levels of Medical Mistrust are Associated with Low Quality of Life among Black and White Men with Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND: Medical mistrust is thought to affect health care-based decisions and has been linked to poor health outcomes. The effects of medical mistrust among men with prostate cancer are unknown. Thus, the goal of the current study is to examine the association between medical mistrust and quality of life (QOL) among black and white men with prostate cancer. METHODS: A total of 877 men (415 black, 462 white) with prostate cancer between the ages of 40 to 81 years who entered the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry during the years 2007 and 2008 were retrospectively recruited. The dependent variable was overall QOL measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate questionnaire. The primary independent variable was medical mistrust. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the association between medical mistrust and overall QOL. RESULTS: Compared with white men, black men reported a higher level of medical mistrust (black = 2.7, white = 2.4; P < .001) and lower QOL (black = 134.4, white = 139.5; P < 0.001). After controlling for demographical and clinical variables, higher levels of medical mistrust were associated with a reduction in overall QOL among men with prostate cancer (beta = -7.73; standard error = 1.54) CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of medical mistrust are associated with reduced overall QOL among black and white men with prostate cancer. Interventions targeted to reduce medical mistrust may be effective in increasing the overall QOL of men with prostate cancer.