TY - JOUR
T1 - Fatalism or destiny? A qualitative study and interpretative framework on Dominican women's breast cancer beliefs
AU - Flórez, Karen R.
AU - Aguirre, Alejandra N.
AU - Viladrich, Anahí
AU - Céspedes, Amarilis
AU - De La Cruz, Ana Alicia
AU - Abraído-Lanza, Ana F.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments This research was supported by a grant to the last author from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Support for preparing the manuscript was also provided by the Initiative for Minority Student Development (IMSD) at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, an education project funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R25GM62454); by the National Cancer Institute (R03CA107876); and by the Columbia Center for the Health of Urban Minorities, an EXPORT center funded by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (P60MD00206).
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Background: A growing literature on Latino's beliefs about cancer focuses on the concept of fatalismo (fatalism), despite numerous conceptual ambiguities concerning its meaning, definition, and measurement. This study explored Latina women's views on breast cancer and screening within a cultural framework of destino (destiny), or the notion that both personal agency and external forces can influence health and life events. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 Latinas from the Dominican Republic aged 40 or over. Results: Respondents reported complex notions of health locus of control that encompassed both internal (e.g., individual action) and external (e.g., the will of God) forces shaping breast cancer prevention efforts. Furthermore, women actively participated in screening because they believed that cancer could become a death sentence if diagnosed late or left untreated. Discussion: In contrast to simplistic notions of 'fatalism', our analysis suggests complex strategies and beliefs regarding breast cancer and cancer screening that speak of resiliency rather than hopelessness.
AB - Background: A growing literature on Latino's beliefs about cancer focuses on the concept of fatalismo (fatalism), despite numerous conceptual ambiguities concerning its meaning, definition, and measurement. This study explored Latina women's views on breast cancer and screening within a cultural framework of destino (destiny), or the notion that both personal agency and external forces can influence health and life events. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 Latinas from the Dominican Republic aged 40 or over. Results: Respondents reported complex notions of health locus of control that encompassed both internal (e.g., individual action) and external (e.g., the will of God) forces shaping breast cancer prevention efforts. Furthermore, women actively participated in screening because they believed that cancer could become a death sentence if diagnosed late or left untreated. Discussion: In contrast to simplistic notions of 'fatalism', our analysis suggests complex strategies and beliefs regarding breast cancer and cancer screening that speak of resiliency rather than hopelessness.
KW - Cancer
KW - Fatalism
KW - Hispanic
KW - Latino
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U2 - 10.1007/s10903-008-9118-6
DO - 10.1007/s10903-008-9118-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 18253833
AN - SCOPUS:67449143672
SN - 1557-1912
VL - 11
SP - 291
EP - 301
JO - Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
JF - Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
IS - 4
ER -