Healthcare mistreatment and continuity of cancer screening among Latino and Anglo American women in southern california

Women Health. 2011 Jan;51(1):1-24. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2011.541853.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to examine the relation of perceptions of healthcare mistreatment and related emotions to continuity of cancer screening care among women who reported healthcare mistreatment. The structure of relations among cultural beliefs about healthcare professionals, perceptions of mistreatment, mistreatment-related emotions, and continuity of screening was investigated. Participants included 313 Anglo and Latino American women of varying demographic characteristics from southern California who were recruited using multi-stage stratified sampling. Structural equation modeling confirmed the relation of perceptions of mistreatment to continuity of care for both Anglo and Latino American women, with ethnicity moderating this association. For Anglo Americans, greater perceptions of mistreatment were negatively related to continuity of screening. However, for Latinas the relation was indirect, through mistreatment-related anger. While greater perceptions of mistreatment were associated with higher levels of anger for both ethnic groups, anger was negatively related to continuity of care for Latino but not for Anglo women. Furthermore, cultural beliefs about professionals were indirectly related to continuity of screening through perceptions of mistreatment and/or mistreatment-related anger. These findings highlight the importance of the role of cultural and psychological factors in research and interventions aimed at improving patient-professional relations with culturally diverse women.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Affect
  • Aged
  • Attitude of Health Personnel*
  • Attitude to Health / ethnology*
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Breast Neoplasms / ethnology
  • California
  • Continuity of Patient Care
  • Culture
  • Early Detection of Cancer / psychology
  • Early Detection of Cancer / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Healthcare Disparities / ethnology*
  • Hispanic or Latino / psychology
  • Hispanic or Latino / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Mass Screening
  • Middle Aged
  • Perception
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / ethnology
  • White People / psychology
  • White People / statistics & numerical data
  • Young Adult