Table 2 Bivariate analysis of demographic, clinical and psychological variables associated with performance of skin self-examination in the past 12 months

From: Skin cancer screening behaviours among individuals with a strong family history of malignant melanoma

 

Test statistics

Variable

Mean SSE (s.d.)

Z

df

P

Demographic variables

Sex

Male

2.95 (1.41)

0.49

 

0.62

Female

2.82 (1.31)

   

Marital status

Currently married

2.85 (1.26)

0.22

 

0.82

Not married

2.97 (1.62)

   

Education level

University degree

3.00 (1.29)

0.40

 

0.69

No university degree

2.87 (1.37)

   

 Agea

 

1.86

1

0.17

Occupational environmentb

Indoors

2.63 (1.27)

3.65

2

0.16

Outdoors

2.93 (1.27)

   

Even time indoors and outdoors

3.22 (1.50)

   

Clinical variables

Personal history of melanoma

Previous melanoma

3.39 (1.33)

2.71

 

0.007

No previous melanoma

2.67 (1.31)

   

 Number of FDRs and SDRs affected by melanomaa

 

5.66

1

0.02

 Number of FDRs and SDRs deceased owing to melanomaa

 

0.026

1

0.87

Objective CDKN2A mutation carrier riskb

100%

3.39 (1.34)

7.86

2

0.02

50%

2.75 (1.36)

   

25% or less

2.53 (1.24)

   

Doctor recommendation for SSE

Yes

3.31 (1.31)

4.20

 

<0.0001

No

2.27 (1.19)

   

Doctor instruction on SSE

Yes

3.49 (1.23)

3.62

 

<0.0001

No

2.57 (1.32)

   

Psychological variables

r s

 

P

 Perceived risk

 

0.15

 

0.10

Causal attributions

Sun exposure

 

0.13

 

0.17

Genetics

 

0.05

 

0.59

Uncontrollable factors

 

0.02

 

0.82

 Self-efficacy for SSE

 

0.52

 

<0.0001

 Perceived efficacy of melanoma treatment

 

−0.25

 

0.007

 Intention to engage in SSE in future

 

0.61

 

<0.0001

 Melanoma-specific distress

 

0.25

 

0.006

 General anxiety

 

0.09

 

0.34

 General depression

 

0.06

 

0.53

Information-seeking stylec

Z

 

P

High monitor

2.80 (1.38)

0.66

 

0.51

Low monitor

2.94 (1.31)

   
  1. Abbreviations: FDR=first-degree relatives; SDR=second-degree relatives; SSE=skin self-examination.
  2. To interpret mean SSE scores, response options were: 1=‘not once’, 2=‘one to three times per year’, 3=‘four to eight times per year’, 4=‘once per month’ and 5=‘once per week’.
  3. aLinear-by-linear association test.
  4. bKruskall–Wallis.
  5. cMann–Whitney U. Bold type is used to indicate statistical significance at the P<0.05 level.