PSYCHOSOCIAL BARRIERS TO THE UPTAKE OF BREAST CANCER SCREENING AMONG WOMEN IN SELECTED HEALTHCARE SETTINGS IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Breast screening is vital in cancer prevention. However, poor participation in breast cancer screening has been linked with diverse psychosocial barriers. Hence, this study assessed the psycho-social barriers in the uptake of breast cancer screening among women of reproductive age. A descriptive, cross-sectional research design was utilized. A multistage sampling technique was utilized to select a sample of 308 women attending children outpatient clinic in the selected hospitals to complete a validated semi-structured questionnaire (r = 0.88). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, frequency and percentage and inferential statistics of chi square at 5% level of significance. The mean age of respondents was 32.3 ±5.5 years, majority were married(94.7%), Christians(62.5%). Only one-third of respondents (32.1%) experienced psycho-social barriers with many experiencing fear of diagnosis (68.7%), displeasure with breast examination (97.4%), language barriers (65.2%), and lack of social support (91.4%).The study revealed a significant level of psychosocial barriers in screening for breast cancer. Therefore, healthcare professionals can ameliorate these psycho-social barriers by assessing and providing psychosocial interventions which addresses the issue and improves screening uptake. Also, there is need for focused individualized approach to care, where each woman’s unique needs and barriers are assessed and prioritized for intervention.

Keywords: Psychosocial barriers, educational status, breast cancer screening, women, family t