Do Breast Cancer Pre-Risk, Cancer Awareness, Anxiety and Fear of Getting Cancer Affect Early Diagnosis Behaviors of Female Students Studying in the Anesthesia Program of a University?
An Erratum to this article was published on March 25, 2026. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ouhcd/article/1918673
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the pre-risk, knowledge, anxiety and fear of developing breast cancer in university students and to determine how these markers create barriers for early diagnosis and behaviours.
Methods: This study was conducted at a university in Southern Turkey with 234 participants between 05.01.2023 and 01.06.2023. It is descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational in nature. The individual Characteristic Information Form, the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Knowledge Scale, the Health Anxiety Scale, the Champion Breast Cancer Fear Scale, and the Breast Cancer Risk Score Calculation Model were used to collect data. In the analysis of descriptive statistics, the number, percentage, and mean were used. Independent samples t-test and Kruskal-Wallis test were used. Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis were performed.
Results: Participants in the study had a low 10-year risk of breast cancer and a low lifetime breast cancer risk. The low-level correlation between the Breast Cancer Fear Scale and the Health Anxiety Scale was positive (r=0.462, p<0.01). The level of knowledge and the level of fear explain 21% of health anxiety.
Conclusions: It was determined that the university students’ risk of getting breast cancer is low, their level of knowledge is medium, their anxiety about getting cancer is low, and their fear of getting cancer is high. The research results showed that the early diagnosis behaviors of the university students were not affected by the level of knowledge and anxiety but were positively affected by the fear of getting breast cancer.
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References
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