Illness perceptions in Brazilian women with cervical cancer, women with precursory lesions and healthy women

Purpose: to compare the perceptions about cervical cancer in: 1) women with cervical cancer, 2) women with precursory lesions; and 3) healthy women. Participants were 150 adult women from southern Brazil. Measures: Sociodemographic and Clinical Data sheet, Illness Perception Questionnaire - Revised and Illness Perception Questionnaire for healthy people. Results showed significant differences between groups in the dimensions of timeline cyclic and identity, indicating that healthy women perceived more symptoms, but as more cyclical (acute/chronic) compared to the other two groups. With regard to the causes of illness, women with cancer more often attributed it to their emotional state/stress/concerns than healthy women or those with precursory lesions.