Do You Perceive What I Perceive? The Association between Men's Perceived Provision of Social Support and Their Female Partner's Perception of Support Regarding Pap Screening, in Pacific Islander Communities

Background/Significance: The Pap test is underutilized among Pacific Islanders (PIs); yet they have high rates of cervical cancer. For PI women, support by others is associated with increased Pap screening behaviors. However there is the possibility that in some cases, men strongly believe that they are supporting their partners to receive a Pap test, but the women do not share this same point of view. Objective/Purpose: To determine whether men's perceived provision of social support to PI women regarding Pap screening is significantly associated with women's perceived receipt of such support. Methods: This cross-sectional study will utilize baseline data from a larger intervention study. The study is targeting approximately 520 PI (Chamorro, Samoan and Tongan) women who have not received a Pap test in over 2 years, and their male partners. Males will indicate the extent to which they provide their female partners with emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support to undergo Pap screening. In separate sessions, the female partners of these men will also be assessed on the extent to which they received this support. Results: Descriptive statistics will be presented. Multiple linear regression models will be conducted, controlling for demographic covariates. Women's perceived receipt of social support will be outcome, while men's provision of that type of social support will be the predictor. Discussion/Conclusions: This study will indicate the degree of concordance between PI women's and men's perceptions of social support. Future analyses will evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention to promote Pap testing via increased social support.