Opioid usage in cancer treatment is low in Japan compared with Western countries. One reason for this is that Japanese patients have misconceptions about and are reluctant to receive administration of opioid analgesics. Dispellingthese misconceptions could contribute significantly to improving the quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients. To elucidate the factors behind these misconceptions, we decided to investigate the factors affecting the misconceptions and usage of opioid analgesics in the public. A questionnaire survey was conducted on drugstore visitors in their forties, fifties, and sixties. The questionnaire consisted of 29 items that aimed to determine the level of misconceptions about and resistance to receiving opioid analgesics, as well as the factors related to the misconceptions. The results were analyzed via factor analysis and structural equation modeling analysis (SEM). Factor analysis revealed the following as factors related to misconceptions about opioid analgesics: “attitude to endure the pain of cancer,” “resistance to the use of medication,” “lack of trust in healthcare professionals.” “The lack of trust in healthcare professionals” affected misconceptions about opioid analgesics, whereas “resistance to the use of medication,” “attitude to endure the pain of cancer” affected misconceptions about opioid analgesics indirectly as derived by SEM (GFI = 0.907, AGFI = 0.863, RMSEA = 0.053). The results of this study suggest that it is important to take measures to reduce misconceptions about opioid analgesics.
