title: "Would a man smell a rose then throw it away?" Jordanian men's perspectives on women's breast cancer and breast health.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer is the most common malignancy afflicting women, and the most common cancer overall in Jordan. A woman's decision to go for screening is influenced by her social support network. This study aims to explore Jordanian men's individual and contextual perspectives on women's breast cancer and their own role in the breast health of the females within their families.
  
  
  METHODS
  An explorative qualitative design was used to purposively recruit 24 married men aged 27 to 65 years (median 43 years) from four governorates in Jordan. Data in the form of interviews transcriptions was subjected to qualitative content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three themes were identified: a) Supporting one's wife; b) Marital needs and obligations; c) Constrained by a culture of destiny and shame. The first theme was built on men's feelings of responsibility for the family's health and well-being, their experiences of encouraging their wives to seek health care and their providing counselling and instrumental support. The second theme emerged from men's views about other men's rejection of a wife inflicted by breast cancer, their own perceptions of diminished femininity due to mastectomy and their own concerns about protecting the family from the hereditary risk of breast cancer. The third theme was seen in men's perception of breast cancer as an inevitable act of God that is far away from one's own family, in associating breast cancer with improper behaviour and in their readiness to face the culture of Eib (shame).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Jordanian men perceive themselves as having a vital role in supporting, guiding and encouraging their wives to follow breast cancer early detection recommendations. Breast health awareness campaigns could involve husbands to capitalize on family support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. hana.taha@ki.se.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taha
authors.forename: Raeda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Al-Qutob
authors.forename: Lennarth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nyström
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wahlström
authors.forename: Vanja
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Berggren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000523:psychology*; D008571:Men / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*