title: Avoiding risk information about breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Learning about personal risk can provide numerous benefits yet people sometimes opt to remain ignorant.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Two studies examined the role of perceived control, coping resources, and anticipated regret in women's decision to avoid breast cancer risk information.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women completed a health inventory and then read a brochure about either controllable or uncontrollable predictors of breast cancer, or received no brochure. Participants then received an opportunity to learn their lifetime risk for breast cancer based on their inventory responses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Reading about controllable predictors of breast cancer reduced avoidance of risk information compared with reading about uncontrollable predictors or receiving no information. In addition, fewer coping resources, anticipated greater regret over seeking breast cancer risk information, and less regret over avoiding breast cancer risk information predicted information avoidance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reading about controllable predictors of breast cancer reduces avoidance of breast cancer risk information.
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611-2250, USA. darya.melnyk@gmail.com
authors: Darya
authors: D
authors: Melnyk
authors: James A
authors: JA
authors: Shepperd
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D003717:Denial, Psychological; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D012306:Risk; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*