Influence of coping with prostate cancer threat on frequency of digital rectal examinations.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of personality variables in coping with cancer threat in the receipt of digital rectal examinations among men from 7 ethnic subpopulations composing 3 major ethnic groups. METHODS: Three hundred eight men were assessed on how often they obtained digital rectal exams and their likelihood of coping with a hypothetical cancer diagnosis. RESULTS: There were ethnic disparities in screening frequency that were not accounted for by demographic/background variables. Coping styles that reflect problem solving, use of social support, and avoidance provided unique and additional variance in understanding these disparities. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer researchers and educators must account for heterogeneity within typical major ethnic groups, as well as consider the role of personality variables, as they differentially predict outcomes in ethnic subpopulations.

Fear, knowledge, and efficacy beliefs differentially predict the frequency of digital rectal examination versus prostate specific antigen screening in ethnically diverse samples of older men.

Emotional and cognitive characteristics have been studied in the context of women's cancer screening but have received scant attention in the study of men's screening behavior. Researchers know little about how such factors interact to predict screening or whether digital rectal examination (DRE) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) screens are predicted by the same characteristics. This study examines the relevance of emotional and cognitive characteristics to DRE and PSA screening among 180 U.S.-born African American, U.S.- born European American, and immigrant Jamaican men. The study identifies the expected effects in which fear is negatively related and efficacy beliefs positively related to DRE and PSA screening. Greater efficacy and (marginally) knowledge appear to "offset" the negative impact of fear on screening, and fear appears particularly relevant to DRE frequency. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of health belief and self-regulatory models in the context of prostate cancer screening among minority men.

Stress versus discrete negative emotions in the prediction of physical complaints: does predictive utility vary across ethnic groups?

Reports of stress and negative emotion are important predictors of health. However, whether discrete emotions or stress measures are more useful, whether they contribute independently to outcome, and whether they relate to health equally across ethnic groups remain unclear. In the current study, 207 US-born European American, US-born African American, Black English-speaking Caribbean, and Dominican men aged 40 years and older completed measures of somatic symptoms, trait emotions, and stress. Sadness and stress independently predicted symptom reports, even when examined concurrently, and with demographics controlled; trait anger did not predict symptoms. Moreover, the relations between trait emotions and symptoms varied across groups. Levels of sadness were associated with greater symptoms among US-born European American and Dominican men, but negatively associated among Black English-speaking Caribbean men, and the relations for anger also differed marginally across groups. The results underscore the importance of differentiating among discrete emotions and stress and considering ethnic interactions when examining reports of somatic symptomology. We suggest that the impact of psychological characteristics on health must be considered within cultural and ethnic contexts to be fully understood.

Recovery issues for African Americans following treatment of oral cavity/pharynx cancer.

Despite the high incidence of oral cavity/pharynx cancer (OCPC) in African Americans, there is little scientific evidence to date that describes the recovery process following treatment of OCPC in this population. Ethnic differences in an array of psychosocial factors, such as emotional regulation styles and social networks, may influence the recovery course with different morbidities and mortality than European Americans. This paper provides an overview of the current literature pertaining to recovery from treatment of OCPC in the African American population.