title: Considerations of culture and social class for families facing cancer: the need for a new model for health promotion and psychosocial intervention.
abstract: Cancer is a family experience, and family members often have as much, or more, difficulty in coping with cancer as does the person diagnosed with cancer. Using both family systems and sociocultural frameworks, we call for a new model of health promotion and psychosocial intervention that builds on the current understanding that family members, as well as the individuals diagnosed with cancer, are themselves survivors of cancer. We argue that considering culture, or the values, beliefs, and customs of the family, including their choice of language, is necessary to understand fully a family's response to cancer. Likewise, acknowledging social class is necessary to understand how access to, and understanding of, otherwise available interventions for families facing cancer can be limited. Components of the model as conceptualized are discussed and provide guidance for psychosocial cancer health disparities research and the development of family-focused, strength-based, interventions.
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Women's Health and Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth, & Families, Norton School of Family & Consumer Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0078, USA. marshall@email.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Linda K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Larkey
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Curran
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Weihs
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Badger
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Armin
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: García
mesh_terms: D003469:Culture; D005195:Family Relations; D005196:Family Therapy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009369:Neoplasms; D012923:Social Class