Breast self examination

The purpose of this investigation was twofold. The primary objective was to determine if social problem solving would moderate the relationship between barriers to breast self examination (BSE) and BSE frequency. The role of knowledge about BSE, motivation towards health, and barriers to BSE was also examined. A secondary objective involved the assessment of a novel method of measuring BSE frequency prospectively. To accomplish these objectives, a diverse sample of 228 women, ages 18-64, was recruited to complete measures regarding BSE knowledge, health motivation, barriers to BSE, and problem-solving ability. BSE frequency was measured retrospectively as well as prospectively by means of a BSE record that documented BSE performance over a three month period. Several hierarchical multiple regressions were performed with BSE frequency as the dependent variable. The control variables were found to, contribute significantly to the variance thereby replicating previous literature. Social problem solving was also found to contribute to BSE frequency, but not moderate the relationship between barriers and the dependent variable. Specifically, rational problem solving and avoidance were found to uniquely contribute to retrospective BSE frequency. Suggestions were made on means of improving the prospective measure of BSE.