Formative Assessment of Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs and Attitudes Among a Diverse Sample of Women with False Positive Mammography Grant uri icon

abstract

  • False positive mammography (FPM) results, defined as an abnormal screening mammogram which is confirmed as non-malignant through diagnostic testing, can lead to negative psychosocial outcomes and may impact future breast cancer (BrCa) screening behaviors. Despite a vast amount of research on the effects of FPM, the majority of studies examine this phenomena in predominately White European women. A small body of evidence suggest that previous FPM results may be related to delays in resolving the results of abnormal mammograms among Black women. My dissertation research addressed this gap via a case-control study examining the influence of FPM results on BrCa screening beliefs and intentions in Black women in South Carolina. Black women with FPM results were found to have an increased perception of the barriers to mammography which reduced their intention to complete BrCa screening. Culturally specific-coping behaviors were found to reduce the negative effects of FPM status on the perception of barriers to BrCa screening. These results parallel published research reporting differential effects of coping strategies on BrCa screening beliefs among Latina women. I seek to explore this phenomenon as part of a K01 award which will consist of a prospective study investigating the impact of various coping strategies on BrCa screening beliefs and behaviors among diverse cohort of women with FPM results in North Carolina. Yet, it is unclear:1) Whether these same trends exist among women in North Carolina and 2) What culturally-specific and generic measures are suitable for use in a larger study. I propose to use funds from the GMaP Research Project Support program to conduct focus group research to address these two issues and generate additional data to support a K01 application in Fall 2018. IRB approval for this project is pending. Women will be eligible to participate if they identify as Black/African American, Latina/Hispanic, or White are age 40 and older, have had at least one FPM in the past, and have never been diagnosed with BrCa or serious mental illness (depression, schizophrenia, anxiety). Grounded theory will guide focus group recruitment and analysis. Group composition will initially be guided by characteristics such as race and age. In addition to discussing FPM experiences and attitudes towards BrCa screening, participants will complete questionnaires which allow for the piloting of survey measures to be included in the future study. An award from the GMaP Region 1 North Research Project Support Program will provide me with financial resources to support data collection and analysis of this for a Fall K01 application. Support from GMaP Region 1 North will be an invaluable to my career development as it will support data collection activities necessary for a successful K01 application.

date/time interval

  • January 2018 - November 2018