The Sociocultural Context of Breast Cancer Screening Among Korean Immigrant Women

Abstract

Korean immigrant women, who compose 1 of 6 major subpopulations in Asian Americans in the United States, are reported to have far lower rates of breast cancer screening than do women in general. Despite the sporadically reported cognitive, affective, and environmental constraints to the screening practices, to date, no research has been conducted to investigate the sociocultural contexts within which women in this population seek help for breast health. The purpose of this study is to explore and interpret the sociocultural processes of breast cancer screening among Korean immigrant women using the grounded theory method. Twenty Korean immigrant women, aged between 20 and 81 years, participated in a set of 2 consecutive qualitative interviews conducted in the Korean language. The qualitative data were transcribed and analyzed using the constant comparison technique. "Balancing relationships within a discordant world" is the core concept of the process of breast cancer screening among Korean immigrant women. There are sociocultural discord in perceptions of breast cancer and screening procedures between Asian ways of thinking and Western biomedical premises. The elicited situation-specific theory sheds light on what Western healthcare professionals have missed and what they should consider in caring for culturally diverse populations.