O'Neill, Marie; (2001) Men's experiences of prostate enlargement and lower urinary tract symptoms: What is 'bother'? Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This study aimed to explore men's experiences of having lower urinary tract symptoms and/or an enlarged prostate. Of particular interest was understanding the concept of 'bother', because treatment decisions are generally made on the basis of how 'bothered' an individual is by his symptoms, rather than on any objective measures of symptomatology. The study was phenomenological and descriptive in nature, using repertory grid methodology and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Participants were a random sample of sixteen men aged over fifty, who had been referred to an outpatient urology clinic with lower urinary tract symptoms. The men were interviewed and completed a repertory grid either before or after their initial appointment at the clinic, before they received any results. The results are presented separately for the repertory grids and for the interpretative phenomenological analysis and two illustrative case examples are provided. A lot of the findings from this study are consistent with the public perception of male stereotypes and how men cope with health related issues and life events in general. In terms of psychological well-being, the overall picture that emerges is a positive one. The men in this study reported low levels of bother, anxiety and depression and minimal impact on their current sense of self. The findings also suggest that 'bother' might be related to issues around ageing, shame/social embarrassment, effect on sexual relationships and worries about future health problems (e.g. cancer).

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