Intimate partners’ participation in risk-management decision making by women at elevated risk of breast cancer: An exploratory qualitative study

IF 2.5 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Anna Muraveva , Megan Hils , Tasleem J. Padamsee
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Abstract

Women at high risk of breast cancer (BC) can face difficult decisions about their risk-management options. For partnered women, a significant other is often the closest emotional relationship and can thus be particularly influential in risk-management decision making. Using data from semi-structured interviews with 30 women in the United States who are at elevated BC risk and in long-term relationships with male partners, we aimed to understand the communication and support-related dynamics of women and their partners. Inductive analysis guided by a constructivist grounded theory approach yielded five main themes. Our results suggest that relationships may add considerable complexity to risk-related decision making. Open communication may be difficult and can be delayed for several reasons: lack of urgency on the part of the woman, reluctance on the part of the partner, or avoidance of uncomfortable topics. Intimate partners often did not fill women's need for emotional support, and some women received support only after difficult conversations or communication assistance from a healthcare provider. Supplemental analysis of women's stories after completion of this inductive work allowed us to posit four approximately sequential levels of partners' involvement in risk-management decision making and action. It was more common for male partners to have no, low, or moderate involvement in risk management, and rarer for men to have a high level of involvement.
乳腺癌高风险妇女亲密伴侣参与风险管理决策:一项探索性质的研究
乳腺癌(BC)高危妇女在风险管理选择方面可能面临困难的决定。对于有伴侣的女性来说,重要的另一半往往是最亲密的情感关系,因此在风险管理决策方面可能特别有影响力。利用半结构化访谈的数据,我们采访了30名美国女性,这些女性的BC风险较高,并且与男性伴侣有长期的关系,我们旨在了解女性及其伴侣之间的沟通和支持相关动态。在建构主义扎根理论指导下的归纳分析产生了五个主要主题。我们的研究结果表明,人际关系可能会增加风险相关决策的复杂性。开放的沟通可能会很困难,并且可能会因为以下几个原因而延迟:女性缺乏紧迫感,伴侣不情愿,或者避免不舒服的话题。亲密伴侣往往不能满足妇女对情感支持的需求,有些妇女只有在与医疗保健提供者进行艰难的交谈或沟通协助后才得到支持。在完成这一归纳工作后,对妇女故事的补充分析使我们能够假设合作伙伴参与风险管理决策和行动的四个大致连续的水平。男性伴侣没有、很少或适度参与风险管理的情况更为常见,而男性高度参与风险管理的情况则更为罕见。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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CiteScore
1.60
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0.00%
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审稿时长
163 days
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