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Mary L. Greaney, PhD1, Robert McKeown, PhD2, Donna L. Richter, EdD3, and Thomas G. Hurley, MS2. (1) The SENIOR Project, University of Rhode Island, 2 Chafee Road, Kingston, RI 02881, 401-874-7546, mgreaney@etal.uri.edu, (2) Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC 29208, (3) Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Health Sciences Building, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208
Degree of fatalism may impact a woman's level of participation in health related decision making. That is, women with more fatalistic outlooks may believe that decisions regarding their health (e.g. having a hysterectomy) Analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between fatalism and hysterectomy experience. African American (n=78) and Caucasian (n=419) women aged 30-65 years were surveyed regarding attitudes toward hysterectomy, menopause, hormone replacement therapy, and fatalism. Fatalism scores (range: 0 to 100; mean=31.85, SD=11.7; higher score=greater degree of fatalism) were correlated with mental health scores (SF-12). African American women's scores (mean=32.1, SD=10.4) did not differ substantially from Caucasian women's (mean=31.6, SD=11.4). Among women who had a hysterectomy, those who felt it had been timed “about right” had lower fatalism scores (mean=31.6, SD=10.4) than women who felt the surgery had been too soon (mean=39.6, SD=4.6) or too late (mean=38.1, SD=9.0). Among all women, those who had not undergone hysterectomy in spite of a medical recommendation had lower fatalism scores (mean=8.6, SD=10.7) than women who had a hysterectomy (mean=32.9, SD=11.0), women who had considered it without a recommendation (mean=33.8, SD=12.6), and women who had not considered it (mean=31.5, SD=11.1). Women with less fatalistic outlooks may be more likely to make medical decisions on their own rather than having decisions imposed on them, or may feel capable of making decisions at odds with authority figures. Fatalism may influence when medical care was sought, participation in the decision making process, and patient adherence to treatment plans.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Women's Health, African American
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.