Appealing to Males At-Risk for Testicular Cancer: Defining a ‘Control Identity' Typology and Modeling Perceptions of Testicular Self-Examination (TSE)

Testicular cancer rates are rising among 15-54 year old men with the majority of those cases affecting males under the age of 35. Regular screening techniques for the disease, most notably testicular self-examination (TSE), are rarely performed among surveyed males. If testicular cancer is caught in its early stages, the survival rate is approximately 95%; however, if diagnosed in later stages, survival rates drop below 50%. The lack of published psychosocial behavioral research in this area has contributed to a general misunderstanding by men of the disease and its preventative/screening measures. If continued, this lack of screening for testicular cancer can only lead to increasing incidence and mortality rates.

This research defines a ‘Control Identity' typology based on the constructs of “realistic vs. unrealistic control” and “internal vs. external locus of control”, and then systematically verifies these types from a performed cluster analysis on cross-sectional survey data. Given the Control Identity types, perceptual mapping techniques are applied to model how each type of respondent perceives testicular self-examination. These mental models are then used to create message strategies tailored for each ‘Control Identity' type.

Existing research indicates that tailored messaging strategies are the most predictive in altering health behaviors among study participants. Although this study presents a unique methodology for use in behavioral interventions designed to promote TSE among men,- the unique combination of methodologies and the Control Identity typology could be applied to the development of intervention strategies across a wide variety of health issues.