An exploratory study of social support: a cross‐cultural comparison of Chinese‐, Japanese‐, and Anglo‐American breast cancer patients

Wellisch, David K.; Kagawa‐Singer, Marjorie; Reid, Suzanne Louise; Lin, Yi‐Jen; Nishikawa‐Lee, Susan; Wellisch, Michele

doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-1611(199905/06)8:3<207::aid-pon357>3.3.co;2-2

Cited by 34 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Less research has focused on the quality of life following cancer among persons of color (Meyerowitz et al, 1998) or in non-Western populations and only a small amount of work has considered the experience of breast cancer in Asian-American women specifically (Ashing et al, 2003;Kagawa-Singer et al, 1997;Kagawa-Singer and Wellisch, 2003;Wellisch et al, 1999). One study demonstrates that although breast cancer support groups specifically for Chinese-American women do exist in the US, they are confined to major cities such as New York or San Francisco (Chui, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surgical treatment preferences in Chinese-American women with early-stage breast cancer

Killoran

Moyer

2006

Psycho-Oncology

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Breast-conserving treatment (BCT) is considered preferable to radical or modified radical mastectomy (MRM) for most women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Studies have found that Chinese-American women are more likely to be treated with MRM, regardless of age or stage of disease. The central question posed in this study is: what are the cultural factors that influence the selection of treatments by Chinese-American patients and the presentation of treatment options by providers? Focused group discussions, semi-structured interviews, and ethnographic observations were conducted with 69 Chinese-American women and 14 health professionals. Results indicated that (1) many Chinese-American women, regardless of age, migration status, education, and income level, expressed a preference for MRM because it was seen as safer; (2) this was primarily a communal belief that even women who had BCT felt pressure to conform to; (3) some women felt pressured into the BCT decision by their physician and/or were unhappy with their choice; (4) patient and physician bias and difficulties with translation issues and supplemental materials all led to cross-cultural miscommunication; and (5) this miscommunication was cited as a reason for (a) not completing treatment regimes or (b) drastic changes in the treatment selected.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surgical treatment preferences in Chinese-American women with early-stage breast cancer

Killoran

Moyer

2006

Psycho-Oncology

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“…Cultural beliefs regarding family role, women's roles, perceptions of spousal support, and concepts of self-image differentially impacted Asian American and Caucasian women's experiences with cancer (e.g. lower helpseeking and social support in Asian American women, greater medical concerns in Chinese Americans) (Kagawa-Singer et al, 1997;Wellisch et al, 1999;Kagawa-Singer and Wellisch, 2003;Ashing-Giwa et al, 2003).To address issues relevant to the increasing numbers of diverse women with breast cancer, research studies need to include larger samples of these women. Also important are studies that allow in-depth understanding of the experiences of BCS from diverse groups.…”

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confidence: 99%

Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and Caucasian cancer survivors

et al. 2003

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Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in American women across most ethnic groups. Although the psychosocial impact of breast cancer is being studied, there is little information on women from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.We conducted a qualitative study with breast cancer survivors (BCS) of various ethnicities. A total of 102 BCS participated in focus group interviews (24 African Americans, 34 Asians, 26 Latinas and 18 Caucasians); 20 health professionals participated in key informant interviews. Important ethnic differences in type of treatment were noted, Asians and Latinas were more likely to receive mastectomies and African American BCS were least likely to receive adjuvant therapies, including radiation and chemotherapy. These BCS enjoyed a fairly good overall health-related quality of life (HRQOL) with some persistent concerns. The prevailing concerns among all women included overall health, moderate physical concerns, cancer recurrence or metastases, psychosocial concerns related to worry about children and burdening the family, and body image and sexual health concerns. Additional challenges included: lack of knowledge about breast cancer; medical care issues such as insurance, cost and amount of time spent with physician; cultural sensitivity of providers, language barriers, cultural factors related to beliefs about illness, gender role and family obligations (e.g. selfsacrifice). These BCS, particularly the women of color, voiced that their spiritual beliefs and practices are central to their coping. This study accomplishes two goals; it adds to the sparse literature concerning the psychosocial sequelae of breast cancer among women of color, and it increases our knowledge of specific cultural influences (e.g. dietary practices, coping) and socio-ecological factors *Correspondence to: UCLA, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 760 Westwood Plaza, Box 62, Los Angeles, CA, USA. E-mail: kashing@ucla.edu. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptPsychooncology. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2006 October 20. Published in final edited form as:Psychooncology. 2004 June ; 13(6): 408-428. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript on HRQOL. More importantly, the study addressed areas that have not been studied before, specifically, an in-depth study on BCS QOL comparing multiple ethnic groups in the US. The results of this investigation will provide preliminary information to survivors and health-care providers about the impact of culture and socio-ecological contexts on survivorship.Among women of all major ethnic groups, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death (American Cancer Society (ACS), 2002). In 2002, over 203,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer (ACS, 2002). Ethnic disparities exist for cancer stage, diagnosis, survival, morbidity and mortality. In general, ethnic minority women are diagnosed with more advanced disease and experience greate...

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“…Unfortunately, there is a paucity of literature on postpartum weight among Asian and Hispanic women. Studies of social support suggest that social networks have different effects and meanings for women than men(84), as well as for people of different cultural backgrounds (85)(86)(87)(88)(89)(90). These stratified analyses, showing rather different effects of marital status and social support, lend credence to that viewpoint.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Postpartum maternal weight changes: Implications for military women

Abrams¹

2002

PsycEXTRA Dataset

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> Public repenting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing this collection of information. We have completed recruitment, data collection and data entry for this study group of new mothers attending the well-baby clinic at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego. We enrolled more than 2500 eligible women and obtained essential data from 1652 of them. Data on the major endpoint, maternal weight late in the postpartum year, are available for more than 1600 of these women, and longitudinal data, reflecting weight measures during the early, middle and late periods of the postpartum year, are available for 861 women. Approximately 20% of the study participants are active duty women. Women in this study, on average, retained more weight late in the postpartum year than usually reported (about 4 kg in this study compared to means of 1.5 to 2 kg in previous studies). Approximately 25% of women who began pregnancy with normal BMI became overweight after birth; the prevalence of overweight was even higher among certain subgroups. Results so far suggest some social, demographic and behavioral risk factors that appear related to increased postpartum weight retention in both active duty and dependent mothers. Additional analyses in the coming year will contribute more information on factors and behaviors that may increase, or protect against, maternal obesity after pregnancy.

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An exploratory study of social support: a cross‐cultural comparison of Chinese‐, Japanese‐, and Anglo‐American breast cancer patients

Cited by 34 publications

References 23 publications

Surgical treatment preferences in Chinese-American women with early-stage breast cancer

Surgical treatment preferences in Chinese-American women with early-stage breast cancer

Understanding the breast cancer experience of women: A qualitative study of African American, Asian American, Latina and Caucasian cancer survivors

Postpartum maternal weight changes: Implications for military women

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