Development of Anticipatory Nausea. A Prospective Analysis

The development of anticipatory nausea in cancer chemotherapy typically has been viewed in terms of a respondent learning model. Firm support for this etiological model has been precluded by use of retrospective research designs, however. The present study employed a prospective design to identify patient- and treatment-related variables characteristic of patients who subsequently develop anticipatory nausea. Seventy-one chemotherapy outpatients were interviewed before and after each chemotherapy infusion during their first 6 months of treatment. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that patients who developed anticipatory nausea were characterized by more severe posttreatment nausea, more time-consuming treatment infusions, and greater state anxiety relative to patients without anticipatory nausea. In general, results supported a respondent learning conceptualization of the development of anticipatory nausea. Clinical implications of these findings for the prevention of anticipatory nausea are suggested.