2019 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.The intent of this study was to investigate how lung cancer (LC) and head and neck cancer (HNC) patients who are medically underserved (i.e. uninsured, underinsured, low income) experience emotional distress (symptoms of depression and anxiety) after being diagnosed with LC or HNC. Participants were recruited from four Colorado hospitals. They completed a baseline survey which included measures of perceived stress, coping self-efficacy, depression symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (TMSC) was used as a theoretical guide for analyses about the relations of stress coping and emotional distress. When age, sex, and stage of cancer were controlled for, levels of perceived stress were observed to be positively associated with experience of emotional distress. Further, coping was shown to be an effective moderator of the relation of perceived stress to emotional distress. The TMSC is a functional theoretical model for organizing the understanding of stress, coping and emotional distress for medically underserved LC and HNC patients. Further research should be conducted to assess for changes in these variables overtime, particularly if psychological interventions can be used to influence each variable
