Anxiety Over Breast Self-Examination May Lead To Low Compliance.

2001 NOV 22 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women who are more afraid of what they might find during a self-examination for breast lumps are less likely to perform them, possibly due to a fear of being alone when they find a lump, according to a new study.

While participants in the study of women at higher than normal risk for breast displayed anxiety about all screening tests, their anxiety was highest for the breast self-examination. It was the only test where compliance was low enough to suggest that anxiety may be a barrier to this screening method.

While 79% of women went for regular mammograms and 89% went for regular Pap smears, only 34% of the women performed regular breast self exams.

"Potentially finding disturbing information while alone sets off anxiety that makes this procedure too threatening. This is particularly true for those women that see themselves as more vulnerable to breast cancer," explain the authors, Nangel M. Lindberg, PhD, and David Wellisch, PhD, of the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry, in the November 2001 issue of Annals of Behavioral Medicine.

The study participants included 430 women recruited at a clinic for women with a family history of breast cancer. The majority of them were white, middle class and well educated. These patients also identified themselves as being at very high risk for developing breast cancer. This concern may affect their motivation to seek information and help as well as their anxiety level, the investigators say.

"It may be ...