Gender Differences in Psychosocial and Medical Outcomes Stemming From Testing Positive for the BRCA1/2 Genetic Mutation for Breast Cancer: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study

This quantitatively driven sequential mixed methods study articulates the role of theory in mixed methods research and assesses the contribution of a mixed methods design to examining gender differences in men and women’s genetic testing decisions and the psychosocial factors impacting health-seekin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mixed methods research 2018-07, Vol.12 (3), p.280-304
Main Author: Hesse-Biber, Sharlene
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breast cancer
Cancer
Decision Making
Family Structure
Gender Differences
Genetic Disorders
Genetic testing
Health Behavior
Help seeking behavior
Hypothesis Testing
Internet
Medical decision making
Medicine
Mixed Methods Research
Mutation
Online Surveys
Prevention
Psychological Patterns
Psychosocial factors
Research methodology
Screening Tests
Semi Structured Interviews
Surgery
Womens health
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This quantitatively driven sequential mixed methods study articulates the role of theory in mixed methods research and assesses the contribution of a mixed methods design to examining gender differences in men and women’s genetic testing decisions and the psychosocial factors impacting health-seeking behaviors post-testing. A quantitative online survey of BRCA-positive mutation men and women was followed by a qualitative component consisting of semi-structured telephone interviews regarding genetic testing and post-testing decision making. Findings reveal gender differences in testing motivations: women focus on health; men focus on their family’s needs. Gender differences also appeared in psychological states and surgical decisions, revealing women’s more negative psychosocial reactions to a positive BRCA test result and higher rate of selecting preventative surgery.
ISSN:1558-6898
1558-6901
DOI:10.1177/1558689816655257