What women think: cancer causal attributions in a diverse sample of women.
Women hold diverse beliefs about cancer etiology, potentially affecting their use of cancer preventive behaviors. Research has primarily focused on cancer causal attributions survivors and participants from non-diverse backgrounds hold. Less is known about attributions held by women with and without a family history of cancer from a diverse community sample. Participants reported factors they believed cause cancer. Open-ended responses were coded and relations between the top causal attributions and key factors were explored. Findings suggest certain socio-cultural factors play a role in the causal attributions women make about cancer, which can, in turn, inform cancer awareness and prevention messages.
a Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center , New York , NY , USA.
Vivian M
VM
Rodríguez
Maria E
ME
Gyure
Rosalie
R
Corona
Joann N
JN
Bodurtha
Deborah J
DJ
Bowen
John M
JM
Quillin
D000328:Adult; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D066252:Sociological Factors; D014481:United States; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*
cancer; causal attributions; causal beliefs; family history; heredity