Skip Navigation


Health Education Research Advance Access originally published online on October 21, 2005
Health Education Research 2006 21(2):287-295; doi:10.1093/her/cyh066
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
21/2/287    most recent
cyh066v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fry, R. B
Right arrow Articles by Prentice-Dunn, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fry, R. B
Right arrow Articles by Prentice-Dunn, S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Effects of a psychosocial intervention on breast self-examination attitudes and behaviors

Rachel B Fry and Steven Prentice-Dunn*

Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, USA

*Correspondence to: S. Prentice-Dunn. E-mail: sprentic{at}bama.ua.edu

An educational intervention to promote breast self-examinations (BSEs) among young women was tested. In a group (intervention versus control) x time (Session 1 versus Session 2) mixed design, 172 college females were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control condition. Both groups attended two sessions; the second session was 48 hours after the first. The intervention consisted of an essay, lecture, video portraying young survivors of breast cancer, group discussions, self-test and instructions on performing BSEs. The control group had the same format; however, the information was focused on nutrition and exercise. Participants in the intervention group scored higher on rational problem solving and behavioral intentions, suggesting that the intervention increased adaptive responses to breast cancer threat. Conversely, control participants scored significantly higher on maladaptive reactions (e.g. hopelessness, avoidance and fatalistic religiosity) to breast cancer threat. For intervention participants, the initial decline in maladaptive reactions remained stable at 3-month follow-up, but adaptive reactions decreased. Intervention participants had greater confidence in performing BSEs compared with controls but performed them on an irregular basis. Results were interpreted in terms of protection motivation theory, a model that applies the social psychology of persuasion to preventive health.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.