Role of Spirituality in Coping with Breast Cancer: A Qualitative Study of Samoan Breast Cancer Survivors and their Supporters

The use of spirituality for guidance and coping affects the quality of life in many cancer survivors and their supporters. Previous research has focused on coping strategies among cancer and terminally ill survivors, primarily among White and African American women. However, the length and extent to which these strategies have been researched in a cultural and communal context, such as Pacific Islanders, is not documented. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore spiritual coping among a crosssectional sample of 20 Samoan women diagnosed with breast cancer and 40 of their supporters (family and/or friends) in Southern California. In-depth interviews were conducted retrospectively with survivors and their supporters by trained bilingual/bicultural interviewers. The interviews were recorded, transcribed (and translated where applicable), and analyzed using the grounded theory approach to identify major themes for each group. Results illustrated that spirituality provided considerable emotional and logistical assistance to both survivors and their supporters, with particularly churches playing a potentially important role in the development of social support programs for both groups. This study supports the use of faith-based communities as forums to increase health education and understanding the further use of spiritual coping for cancer survivors, family, and friends

Reservations to Participate in Biospecimen Research among Pacific Islanders

Background and Significance: Despite high rates of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, Pacific Islanders (PIs) are underrepresented in clinical and genetic studies designed to identify the physiological causes of poor health outcomes. There are limited genetic data and biospecimen samples from PIs under study. This paper described why PIs have reservations about donating their biospecimen samples for research. Methods: Data were drawn from a pilot study designed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs surrounding biospecimen research among PIs in southern California. Utilizing a community-based participatory research approach, community and academic partners collected quantitative and qualitative data from a total of 60 PI adults with a mean age of 61 years (SD 13 years). Results: “Fear”, “God or Spirituality” and “Lack of Information or Knowledge” were the most cited reasons for not participating in biospecimen research. Respondents younger than age 65 years expressed more concerns about donating their biospecimen samples than those older than age 65 years (p<0.012). No significant gender differences were found (p=0.84). Conclusion: Our results emphasize the need to conduct relevant and appropriate biospecimen education among minority communities in order to address misconceptions and build support to increase PI and other minority participation in biospecimen-related studies

Needs and experiences of Samoan breast cancer survivors in Southern California.

ObjectiveBreast cancer rates are increasing among Samoan and other Pacific Islander women, yet studies of their social support needs are nearly non-existent. The purpose of this paper is to report on the cultural dimensions of social support among Samoan breast cancer survivors in Southern California.MethodsData for this paper came from a larger one-and-a-half year study of the social support needs of Samoan breast cancer survivors and their family and friends. In-depth, retrospective, qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 20 Samoan survivors who were recruited from an existing social support program as well as the general community.ResultsWe documented important informational needs and behaviors, social support needs and experiences, and spirituality issues for the Samoan breast cancer survivors.ConclusionsOur findings underscore the need for culturally-specific social support services for Samoans, as well as the necessity of community-based participatory research to define and explore social support and other survivorship needs in this understudied population. Recommendations from the community report-back, stressed the importance of expanding community Samoan cancer social support groups through collaborations with Samoan leaders and churches

Role of Spirituality in Coping with Breast Cancer: A Qualitative Study of Samoan Breast Cancer Survivors and their Supporters.

The use of spirituality for guidance and coping affects the quality of life in many cancer survivors and their supporters. Previous research has focused on coping strategies among cancer and terminally ill survivors, primarily among White and African American women. However, the length and extent to which these strategies have been researched in a cultural and communal context, such as Pacific Islanders, is not documented. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore spiritual coping among a cross-sectional sample of 20 Samoan women diagnosed with breast cancer and 40 of their supporters (family and/or friends) in Southern California. In-depth interviews were conducted retrospectively with survivors and their supporters by trained bilingual/bicultural interviewers. The interviews were recorded, transcribed (and translated where applicable), and analyzed using the grounded theory approach to identify major themes for each group. Results illustrated that spirituality provided considerable emotional and logistical assistance to both survivors and their supporters, with particularly churches playing a potentially important role in the development of social support programs for both groups. This study supports the use of faith-based communities as forums to increase health education and understanding the further use of spiritual coping for cancer survivors, family, and friends

Needs and Experiences of Samoan Breast Cancer Survivors in Southern California

ObjectiveBreast cancer rates are increasing among Samoan and other Pacific Islander women, yet studies of their social support needs are nearly non-existent. The purpose of this paper is to report on the cultural dimensions of social support among Samoan breast cancer survivors in Southern California.MethodsData for this paper came from a larger one-and-a-half year study of the social support needs of Samoan breast cancer survivors and their family and friends. In-depth, retrospective, qualitative interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 20 Samoan survivors who were recruited from an existing social support program as well as the general community.ResultsWe documented important informational needs and behaviors, social support needs and experiences, and spirituality issues for the Samoan breast cancer survivors.ConclusionsOur findings underscore the need for culturally-specific social support services for Samoans, as well as the necessity of community-based participatory research to define and explore social support and other survivorship needs in this understudied population. Recommendations from the community report-back, stressed the importance of expanding community Samoan cancer social support groups through collaborations with Samoan leaders and churches

Lost on the frontline, and lost in the data: COVID-19 deaths among Filipinx healthcare workers in the United States.

BackgroundFilipinx Americans working in healthcare are at risk for COVID-19 death but lack consistent mortality data on healthcare worker deaths. The lack of disaggregated data for Asian subgroups proliferates anti-Asian structural racism as the needs of high-risk groups are systematically undetected to merit a proper public health response. We work around this aggregated data problem by examining how the overrepresentation of Filipinxs in healthcare contributes to COVID-19 mortality among Asian American populations.MethodsTo overcome the lack of COVID-19 mortality data among Filipinx American healthcare workers, we merged data from several sources: Kanlungan website (the only known public-facing source of systematically reported mortality data on Filipinx healthcare workers nationally and globally), National Center for Health Statistics, and 2014-2018 American Community Survey. We examined county-level associations using t-tests, scatterplots, and linear regression.FindingsA higher percentage of Filipinxs among Asian Americans was correlated with a higher percentage of COVID-19 decedents who are Asian Americans (r = 0.24, p = 0.01). The percentage of Filipinx in healthcare remained a strong predictor of COVID-19 deaths among Asian Americans even after adjusting for age, poverty, and population density (coef = 1.0, p < 0.001). For every 1% increase in Filipinx among the healthcare workforce, the percentage of Asian American COVID-19 decedents increased by 1%.InterpretationOur study shows that the overrepresentation of Filipinxs in healthcare contributes to COVID-19 mortality disparities among Asian Americans. Our findings advocate for systems change by practicing anti-racist data agendas that collect and report on Asian subgroups for effective real-time targeted approaches against health inequities

Allostatic Load, Unhealthy Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms by Birthplace Among Older Adults in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA)

Objective: To assess whether unhealthy behaviors moderated the relationship between allostatic load (AL) and future significant depressive symptoms (SDSs) among 1,789 older Latinos. Method: Longitudinal data included baseline AL, three unhealthy behaviors (UBs), and 2-year follow-up SDS. Multivariable logistic regression analyses, stratified by birthplace (U.S. vs. foreign born), modeled the effects of AL, UB count (range = 0-3), and their interaction on follow-up SDS. Results: Compared with U.S.-born, foreign-born participants engaged in fewer UBs (0.52 vs. 0.60 behaviors, p = .01) and had higher baseline SDS (31% vs. 20%, p < .001). Among foreign-born participants, the effect of AL on future SDS (adjusted odds ratios [aORs]; 95% confidence interval [CI]) significantly increased across UB counts of 0 to 3: 1.06 [0.83, 1.35], 1.46 [1.14, 1.87], 2.00 [1.18, 3.41], and 2.75 [1.18, 6.44], respectively. Discussion: Among foreign-born Latinos, these results were most pronounced for women and adults above age 80, which may represent higher risk groups requiring more intensive screening for depression