Women's participation in mammography screening, breast cancer risk levels and relationship with DEATH anxiety

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between women's participation in mammography screening, breast cancer risk levels and death anxiety. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. Between January and April 2023, women aged 40 and over were included in the study. A face-to-face survey was applied to the participants. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics, characteristics associated with breast cancer risk, characteristics related to mammography screening, and Templer's Death Anxiety Scale (TDAS). Results: A total of 305 women participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 54.14±9.30 years, 66.90% were housewives, 48.90% were obese, and 66.90% were in menopause. According to the Gail model, the mean risk of developing breast cancer at five years was 1.11±0.54; The mean lifetime risk of developing breast cancer was calculated as 7.93±3.51. The mean death anxiety score of the participants was found to be 8.47±2.39. 68.90% of the participants participated in mammography screening, 23.00% participated in screening regularly. Participation in mammography screening differed significantly according to menopausal status, breast biopsy performed with a benign diagnosis, cancer history in distant relatives/acquaintances, knowing that cancer screening should be performed before any signs of disease, and age. Fear of bad news received the highest score for negative statements about mammography directed at participants. There was a positive correlation between death anxiety score and total score of negative statements about mammography (r=0.229, p<0.001). As the participants' negative statements about mammography increased, their participation in mammography screening decreased (p<0.001). Conclusions: There was a positive correlation between the scores of the participants for negative statements about mammography and the death anxiety score. As the score for negative statements increased, participation in the screening decreased. Keywords: breast cancer, mammography, death anxiety, Gail model