Empowered Choices

African-American Women's Breast Reconstruction Decisions

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15329810
AutoresShahnjayla K Connor (0000-0003-1340-1527, University of Houston - Downtown, autor de correspondencia), Shahnjayla K Connors (Shahnjayla K. Connors, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX, United States), Isabel M Leal (0000-0002-0073-339X, University of Houston), Vijay Nitturi (0000-0002-8310-3077, University of Houston), Chisom Odoh (0000-0002-6702-5363, University of Houston), Chisom N Iwundu (University of Houston), Valentina Maza (0009-0009-7453-1254, Valentina Maza, Research Assistant, Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University, Houston, Houston, TX, United States), Stacey Reyes (Stacey Reyes, Research Assistant, Department of Social Sciences, University of Houston-Downtown, Houston, TX, United States), Chiara Acquati (0000-0002-6232-5834, University of Houston), Lorraine R Reitzel (0000-0002-7165-5720, University of Houston)
Año2021
Volumen45
Número2
Páginas352-370
Fecha de publicación2021-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Journal of Health Behavior (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1087-3244 • E-ISSN: 1945-7359
EditorialPNG Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.5993/ajhb.45.2.14
PMID33888195
OpenAlexW3155071829
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas7

Objectives: Breast reconstruction (BR) potentially can improve quality of life in postmastectomy breast cancer survivors (BCS); however, African-American women are less likely to undergo BR than Caucasian women. This qualitative study was undertaken to explore individual, sociocultural, and contextual factors influencing African-American women's BR decision-making processes and preferences. Methods: Postmastectomy African-American BCS with and without BR participated in semi-structured interviews. We adopted a grounded theory approach using the constant comparison method to understand the contexts and processes informing participants' BR decision-making. Results: Twenty-three women participated, of whom 17 elected BR and 6 did not. Whereas women's primary reasons for deciding for or against BR differed, our core category, " empowered choices ," describes both groups' decision-making as a process focused on empowering themselves physically and/or psychologically, through self-advocacy, informed and shared decision-making, and giving back/receiving communal and spiritual support from church and African-American survivor groups. Socioeconomic factors influenced women's access to BR. Women preferred autologous BR and expressed the need for greater culturally-matched resources and support to inform treatment and shared BR decision-making. Conclusions: Understanding and supporting African-American women's BR preferences and empowerment is essential to ensuring equal access, and culturally-relevant, high-quality, and informed patient-centered care

African american · Breast cancer · Cancer · Empowerment · Grounded theory · Political science · Population · Qualitative research · Sociocultural evolution · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Cancer survivorship and care · Demography · Medicine · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Patient Dignity and Privacy · Psychology · Social Psychology