Lopez-Class Maria, Perret-Gentil Monique, Kreling Barbara, Caicedo Larisa, Mandelblatt Jeanne, Graves Kristi D
Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
J Cancer Educ. 2011 Dec;26(4):724-33. doi: 10.1007/s13187-011-0249-4.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Latinas. This study examined social, cultural, and health care system factors that impact the quality of life and survivorship experiences of Latina immigrant breast cancer survivors. We interviewed Latina breast cancer survivors (n = 19) and, based on the interview findings, conducted two focus groups (n = 9). Research staff translated transcripts from Spanish into English. Two trained raters reviewed the content and identified themes. Thematic content analysis was used to categorize and organize data. Participants were largely monolingual in Spanish, predominantly from Central and South America and most (68%) had lived in the U.S. for ten or more years. All women were diagnosed and treated in the U.S. and were an average of 3.1 years from diagnosis. Women's survivorship experiences appeared to be shaped by cultural beliefs and experiences as immigrants such as secrecy/shame about a breast cancer diagnosis, feelings of isolation, importance of family support (familism), challenges with developing social relationships in the U.S. (less personalismo), and, for some, their partner's difficulty with showing emotional support (machismo). Navigating the U.S. medical system and language barriers were additional challenges in the participants' health care interactions. Latina breast cancer survivors adhere to certain cultural values and face unique issues as immigrants, potentially influencing overall quality of life and doctor-patient communication. Efforts to improve Latina immigrant breast cancer survivors' quality of life could include increased assessment of psychosocial functioning and referral to social support services, culturally sensitive navigation programs, and consistent use of appropriately trained interpreters.
乳腺癌是拉丁裔女性中最常见的癌症。本研究调查了影响拉丁裔移民乳腺癌幸存者生活质量和生存体验的社会、文化及医疗保健系统因素。我们采访了拉丁裔乳腺癌幸存者（n = 19），并根据访谈结果开展了两个焦点小组（n = 9）。研究人员将西班牙语的访谈记录翻译成英语。两名经过培训的评估人员审查了内容并确定了主题。采用主题内容分析法对数据进行分类和整理。参与者大多只会说西班牙语，主要来自中美洲和南美洲，且大多数（68%）已在美国生活了十年或更长时间。所有女性均在美国被诊断和接受治疗，自确诊以来平均已有3.1年。女性的生存体验似乎受到文化信仰以及作为移民的经历的影响，比如对乳腺癌诊断的隐瞒/羞耻感、孤独感、家庭支持（家族主义）的重要性、在美国发展社会关系面临的挑战（缺乏个人主义），以及对一些人来说，其伴侣在给予情感支持方面存在困难（大男子主义）。在参与者的医疗保健互动中，应对美国医疗系统和语言障碍是额外的挑战。拉丁裔乳腺癌幸存者坚持某些文化价值观，并且作为移民面临独特问题，这可能会影响总体生活质量和医患沟通。改善拉丁裔移民乳腺癌幸存者生活质量的努力可包括加强对心理社会功能的评估、转介至社会支持服务机构、开展具有文化敏感性的导航项目，以及持续使用经过适当培训的口译员。
