A barrier to participation in cervical cancer screenings: fatalism

Cervical cancer is a significant disease affecting women’s health in terms of its incidence and is one of the most preventable cancers. However, participation in early cervical cancer-screening programs has been unsatisfactory for various reasons. In this descriptive, relationship-seeking study, we examined the relationship between fatalism tendency, an individual barrier to participation in early cancer screening programs, and women’s attitudes toward the early diagnosis of cervical cancer and undergoing the Pap smear test. Research data were collected between August 1, 2019 and December 1, 2019, in a city in northern Turkey from 602 women using a participant information form, the Attitudes Toward Early Diagnosis in Cervical Cancer Scale, and the Fatalism Tendency Scale. We found that fatalistic tendencies in women were a predictor of their attitudes toward the early diagnosis of cervical cancer (odds ratio [OR] = −0.64, β =.47, p <.001) and undergoing the Pap smear test (OR = 1.01, β = −.15, p <.001). Women with high fatalism tendencies had a more negative attitude toward the early diagnosis of cervical cancer and their participation rate in Pap smear screening programs was low. Therefore, nurses must consider women’s fatalistic tendencies and attitudes toward cancer when organizing educational and informational programs that encourage participation in cervical cancer screening.