Abstract
The present study examined the relationship between spiritual health locus of control, breast cancer beliefs, and mammography utilization among a sample of 1,227 African American women from urban public health centers. Spiritual health locus of control was conceptualized as having an active and passive dimension, empowering individuals in their health beliefs and behaviors or rendering them to rely on a higher power (e.g., God) to determine their health outcomes, respectively. The active dimension was negatively associated with perceived benefits of mammography and positively associated with perceived barriers to mammography. The active and passive spiritual dimensions are distinct from internal and external health locus of control. Further study of their associations with other health-related beliefs and behaviors is warranted.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 294-299 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Health Psychology |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2003 |
Keywords
- African Americans
- Breast cancer
- Health locus of control
- Spirituality