Within-Gender Differences in Medical Decision Making Among Male Carriers of the BRCA Genetic Mutation for Hereditary Breast Cancer

An intersectional approach was used to understand sex/gender differences in men’s health decisions with regard to hereditary breast cancer (BRCA). A sequential explanatory mixed method design was employed consisting of an online survey with a convenience sample of 101 men who tested positive for the breast cancer mutation following up with an in-depth interview with a subsample of 26 males who participated in the survey. The survey results revealed that 70.3% ( n = 45) considered “Family Risk” as the primary reason for getting BRCA tested; 21.9% ( n = 14) considered “Medical Considerations,” and 7.8% ( n = 5) considered “Social Support” as their primary reason. Male participants who were 50 years old or younger or who did not have children were more likely to consider medical reasons as the primary reason to get tested. In terms of self-concept, younger men were more stigmatized than their older counterparts; married men felt a greater loss of control with regard to their BRCA-positive mutation diagnosis than single men; and professional men as a whole felt more vulnerable to the negative influences of the disease than those who had already retired. Regression analysis results indicated that negative self-concept was strongly related to sampled males’ BRCA involvement 6 months after testing. Applying an intersectional approach to health care, decision-making outcomes among BRCA-positive mutation males provides an important lens for ascertaining the within-sex/gender demographic and psychosocial factors that affect the diversity of men’s pretesting and posttesting medical decisions.

Download Full-text

A Modern Dilemma: How Experts Grapple with Ambiguous Genetic Test Results

Medical Decision Making ◽

10.1177/0272989x20935864 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (5) ◽

pp. 655-668

Author(s):

Courtney L. Scherr ◽

Amy A. Ross Arguedas ◽

Hannah Getachew-Smith ◽

Charlotte Marshall-Fricker ◽

Neeha Shrestha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Decision Making ◽

Risk Management ◽

Genetic Testing ◽

Mental Models ◽

Psychosocial Factors ◽

Hereditary Breast Cancer ◽

Online Survey ◽

Management Decisions ◽

Genetic Test Results

Objective. Clinicians regularly use panel genetic testing to identify hereditary breast cancer risk, but this practice increases the rate of receiving an ambiguous test result, the variant of uncertain significance (VUS). VUS results are a growing and long-term challenge for providers and have caused negative patient outcomes. The objective of this study was to elicit expert opinions about patients’ decision making after receiving a VUS result to provide future guidance for VUS disclosure. Methods. Using an adapted mental models approach, experts ( N = 25) completed an online survey and in-depth interview eliciting qualitative judgments of the factors relevant to informed patient decision making after receiving a VUS result. Content analysis of interview transcripts clarified the basis for these judgments. Results. Participants identified 11 decisions facing patients after receiving VUS results grouped into ambiguity management or risk management. The experts also identified 24 factors relevant to each decision, which reflected 2 themes: objective factors (e.g., clinical information, guidelines) and psychosocial factors (e.g., understanding or risk perception). Conclusion. This study presents an adaptation of the mental models approach for communication under conditions of ambiguity. Findings suggest providers who present VUS results from genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer should discuss decisions related to ambiguity management that focus on hope for future reclassification, and be directive when discussing risk management decisions. Objective and psychosocial factors should influence both ambiguity and risk management decisions, but especially risk management decisions.

Download Full-text

Pharmacotherapy decision-making among patients with breast cancer in Japan: results of an online survey

Breast Cancer ◽

10.1007/s12282-019-00986-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (6) ◽

pp. 799-807

Author(s):

Chikako Shimizu ◽

Yukinori Sakata ◽

Ruiko Sakai ◽

Hiroki Ikezawa ◽

Yoshiki Uetaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Decision Making ◽

Online Survey

Download Full-text

Facilitating decision-making in women undergoing genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer: BRECONDA randomized controlled trial results

The Breast ◽

10.1016/j.breast.2017.10.001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 36 ◽

pp. 79-85 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kerry A. Sherman ◽

Christopher J. Kilby ◽

Laura-Kate Shaw ◽

Caleb Winch ◽

Judy Kirk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Decision Making ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Genetic Testing ◽

Hereditary Breast Cancer ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Randomized Controlled

Download Full-text

Misinterpretation of Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk and Its Association with Information Sharing Motives among Women at Low Likelihood of Carrying a BRCA1/2 Mutation

Public Health Genomics ◽

10.1159/000511131 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Jingsong Zhao ◽

Colleen M. McBride ◽

Yue Guan

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Social Network ◽

Family History ◽

Breast Cancer Risk ◽

Cancer Risk ◽

Information Sharing ◽

Hereditary Breast Cancer ◽

Online Survey ◽

Screen Result ◽

Communication Needs

Purpose: In this brief report, we ask whether women’s interpretation of breast cancer risk based on their low likelihood of carrying a BRCA1/2 mutation is associated with their information-sharing behavior, and whether misinterpretation is associated with motives for sharing the result. Methods: Women in mammography clinics who completed a brief family history assessment and deemed to be at low likelihood of carrying a BRCA1/2 mutation were asked to complete a 1-time online survey between June 2016 and January 2017. Results: One-third (44/148) of women shared their family history screen result with someone in their social network. Result information was shared largely with a first-degree female relative to express feelings of relief (77%, 33/43). There were no differences in likelihood of sharing based on breast cancer risk interpretation. However, women who misinterpreted the implications of the result for general breast cancer risk reported more motives to share the result with their social network than those who accurately interpreted their breast cancer risk. Conclusions: As family history-based screening for hereditary breast cancer is broadly implemented, the communication needs of the majority of women who will be unlikely of carrying a BRCA1/2 mutation must be considered. The motives of women who misinterpreted the implications of this result for breast cancer risk suggest the possibility that miscommunication could be spread to the broader family network.

Download Full-text

The Computer-Related Self Concept

International Journal of Social and Organizational Dynamics in IT ◽

10.4018/ijsodit.2013070101 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 1-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Monique Janneck ◽

Sylvie Vincent-Höper ◽

Jasmin Ehrhardt

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Human Computer Interaction ◽

Theoretical Approach ◽

Online Survey ◽

Self Concept ◽

Career Motivation ◽

Male And Female ◽

Women’S Careers ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Computer Interaction

This paper presents the computer-related self-concept as a new theoretical approach to analyzing and understanding computer-related attitudes, emotions, and behaviors. The approach integrates different lines of research on computer-related self-cognitions. The authors developed and validated a questionnaire to measure the computer-related self-concept and conducted a large online survey with more than 1100 male and female computing professionals. Results show that men have a significantly more positive computer-related self-concept than women. Furthermore, the computer-related self-concept shows high correlations with career motivation. Thus, the concept might serve to further analyze computer-related gender differences and eventually to devise supportive measures in order to foster women’s careers in computing. Further prospects for using the computer-related self-concept in research on human-computer interaction are also explored.

Download Full-text

Attitudes toward food fraud in Israel and Germany

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-10-2019-0785 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 122 (7) ◽

pp. 2219-2232

Author(s):

Inna Levy ◽

Pamela Kerschke-Risch

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Online Survey ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Food Fraud ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Content Type ◽

Kosher Food ◽

And Gender ◽

The Impact

PurposeThe current research focused on attitudes toward food fraud (AFF) and examined the impact of types of food fraud, gender differences, and country of residence.Design/methodology/approachA convenience sample of German (n = 151) and Israeli (n = 496) participants was recruited through an online survey. They filled out a sociodemographic questionnaire and AFF scale, which includes three subscales: organic fraud, kosher fraud, and spraying fraud.FindingsThe results indicate that there is a significant effect of type of fraud, country of residence, and gender. German participants expressed more negative attitudes toward organic food fraud and less negative attitudes toward kosher fraud than Israeli participants. Women expressed more negative attitudes toward organic and kosher food frauds than men.Originality/valueThis study offers insight into cross-cultural and gender differences in attitudes toward food fraud. The findings suggest that public attitudes toward food fraud represent not just severity of possible consequences, but also environmental and religious aspects of consumption, norms and culture.

Download Full-text