Prediction of breast self-examination in a sample of Iranian women: an application of the Health Belief Model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Iranian women, many of whom live in small cities, have limited access to mammography and clinical breast examinations. Thus, breast self examination (BSE) becomes an important and necessary approach to detecting this disease in its early stages in order to limit its resultant morbidity and mortality. This study examined constructs arising from the Health Belief Model as predictors of breast self examination behavior in a sample of women living in Bandar Abbas, Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study was conducted in eight health centers located in Bandar Abbas, Iran. The sample consisted of 240 eligible women who were selected from referrals to the centers. The inclusion criteria were as follows: aged 30 years and over; and able to read and write Farsi. Women with breast cancer, who were pregnant, or breast feeding, were excluded from the study. Data were collected by using a self administered questionnaire which included demographic characteristics and Champion's Health Belief Model Scale. This instrument measures the concepts of disease susceptibility (3 items), seriousness (6 items), benefits (4 items), barriers (8 items) and self-efficacy (10 items).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The subjects' mean age was 37.2 (SD = 6.1) years. Just under a third of the subjects (31.7%) had performed BSE in the past and 7.1% of them performed it at least monthly. Perceived benefits and perceived self-efficacy of the women who performed BSE were significantly higher compared with women who did not practice BSE (p < 0.03). Furthermore, perceived barriers were lower among those who had performed BSE (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that women who perceived fewer barriers (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.63-0.77, p < 0.001) and had higher self-efficacy (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.13, p = 0.003) were more likely to perform BSE (R²= 0.52).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Findings from this study indicated that perceived barriers and perceived self-efficacy could be predictors of BSE behavior among the sample of women. Therefore, BSE training programs that emphasize self-efficacy and address perceived barriers are recommended.</p

Emotion-focused group counseling with Turkish divorced women: a mixed design study

This study investigates the effect of an emotion-focused group counseling program (EFGCP) on the emotional awareness and psychological well-being of divorced women. It also investigates their opinions regarding its effectiveness. This mixed-method study used a real experimental design with a 2 × 3 pretest–post-test control group with follow-up tests. It administered 16 EFGCP sessions to the experimental group and collected quantitative data from the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale and Psychological Well-being Scale and qualitative data from client and group leader diaries and focus group interview forms. The quantitative data were analyzed using a mixed 2 × 3 repeated-measure analysis of variance, while the qualitative data were examined using content analysis. Quantitative findings showed that EFGCP increased the emotional awareness levels of divorced women in the experimental group compared with those in the control group. This effect continued for 3 months, and while it improved their psychological well-being, the improvement was not significant. Meanwhile, qualitative results were grouped under two categories: “contribution” and “emotion-focused group counseling.” The contribution category included four themes, namely, emotional awareness, psychological well-being, adaptation after divorce, and metaphors. However, the emotion-focused group counseling category included techniques, group leader, and recommendations for group structure themes. Implications for further research and practice are discussed in light of the literature. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.This research was financed by the research grant under the doctoral thesis project for The Scientific Research Projects Fund Accounting Office of Ege University (Project No: 13-EĞF-004).13-EĞF-00