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Feeling Indecent: Breast Cancer Screening Resistance of Mexican-descent Women

Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, USA

Sharon Rae Jenkins

Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, USA

This grounded theory study investigated how Mexican-descent women's traditional cultural beliefs, values, and norms regarding the propriety of their behavior and that of their health care providers influence their decision to participate in breast cancer screening. Thirty-four women (aged 49–81 years old) were interviewed in five focus groups using theoretical sampling across levels of acculturation and socioeconomic status. We discovered that the women's basic social-psychological problem is that screening is an insensitive procedure that violates their cultural standards by requiring inappropriate behavior. The risk involved is ‘feeling indecent’ since both touching one's breast and breast exposure to health care providers is prohibited according to cultural norms for respectable female behavior. Thus, women resist participating in breast cancer screening to avoid feeling indecent.

Key Words: breast cancer screening • cultural health beliefs • health care providers • hispanic women • women of Mexican descent

Journal of Health Psychology, Vol. 6, No. 5, 537-549 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/135910530100600507


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