Demografinin ötesinde: Kadınların kanser taramasında kişilik, normlar ve mekanizmaların etkisi

This thesis looks at factors underlying women's health behaviors and aims to uncover what factors lead to women's cancer screening across various contexts. We consider screenings in different cultures, one where screening is normative and one where few engage in the behavior. Additionally, we consider factors important in having a first screening and sustaining screening behavior. We go beyond demographics to understand what psychosocial factors could be used to promote action in various contexts in an effort to increase screening performance and to detect cancer early. Chapter 1 focuses on women's mammogram screening in a culture where screening is normative. In this chapter we investigate how personality and religiousness influence women's two year mammogram rates in the United States. A total of 474 women, of who over 80% had a mammogram in the last two years, were studied. Chapter 2 shifts focus from women's mammogram screening in cultures where screening is normative to a culture where screening is non-normative. In this chapter, we investigate how screening-based individual differences influence women in Turkey's cancer screening behavior. A total of 483 women, whose current screening rates of breast and cervical cancer range from 24 to 30%, were studied. We find current screening rates vary drastically for women who have participated in the workforce versus those women who are homemakers. We then look at screening-based individual differences underlying these behaviors. Chapter 3 continues to investigate women's cancer screening in cultures where screening is non-normative; however, Chapter 3 also adds the distinction of initiation and maintenance of a behavior. In this chapter we investigate how screening-based individual differences influence women in Turkey's mammogram intentions. A total of 748 women, 36% of whom ever had a mammogram, were studied. We investigate the influences of initiation and maintenance, as well as, self-direction versus doctor-direction on mammogram intentions.