• Valentina E Di Mattei, Letizia Carnelli, Martina Mazzetti, Martina Bernardi, Rossella Di Pierro, Alice Bergamini, Giorgia Mangili, Massimo Candiani, and Lucio Sarno.
• Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
• Plos One. 2016 Jan 1; 11 (4): e0153869.

BackgroundGestational Trophoblastic Disease comprises a group of benign and malignant disorders that derive from the placenta. Using Leventhal's Common-Sense Model as a theoretical framework, this paper examines illness perception in women who have been diagnosed with this disease.MethodsThirty-one women diagnosed with Gestational Trophoblastic Disease in a hospital in Italy were asked to complete the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised to measure the following: illness Identity, illness opinions and causes of Gestational Trophoblastic Disease.ResultsHigh mean scores were observed in the Emotional representations and Treatment control subscales. A significant difference emerged between hydatidiform mole patients and those with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia on the Identity subscale. A significant correlation emerged between "time since diagnosis" and the Treatment control subscale.DiscussionThis study is the first to investigate illness perception in Gestational Trophoblastic Disease. From a clinical perspective the results highlight the need for multidisciplinary support programs to promote a more realistic illness perception.

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