Presenters
Summary
African American men are more likely to be diagnosed with and die from prostate cancer (American Cancer Society, 2016; Kreps, 2006). For those who survive, prostate cancer side effects, such as erectile dysfunction, impact the patient’s quality of life and their romantic relationship. Sexual satisfaction seems to impact the perceived quality of life and overall health for African American men (Kinlock et al., 2017). When compared to white men with prostate cancer African American men are less likely to trust their physicians, this may be related to medical mistrust (Boulware, Cooper, Ratner, LaVeist, & Powe, 2016). The purpose of this study was to understand the association between trust and confidence in medical care, quality of life, sexual satisfaction, and couple’s satisfaction for African American prostate cancer survivors. This study looked at African American men (n=24) who were in or had completed treatment and were in romantic relationships. A one-time, self-report survey was conducted. Surveys were web-based or in-person depending on the participants’ preference. Participants were recruited nationally through prostate cancer support groups, medical and mental health listservs, social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.), urology clinics and primary care clinics. Due to the difficulty of accessing the African American population for research, this study used non-random sampling such as convenience (i.e., quota or accidental) sampling (Etikan et al., 2015; Kumar, 2011) and snowball sampling (Kumar, 2011). Participants filled out questions from the following measures Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Treatment Satisfaction-Patient Satisfaction (FACIT-TS-PS), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Prostate Cancer (FACT-P), Couples Satisfaction Inventory (CSI-4), PROMIS SexFS. Due to the small sample size (n = 24), non-parametric correlations were conducted to test hypotheses. Positive associations were found between physician communication and quality of life, couples satisfaction, sex life satisfaction, and orgasm pleasure as expected. As well as confidence and trust in medical care, quality of life, couples satisfaction, sex life satisfaction, and orgasm pleasure. Recruitment of African American men for this study was difficult and the response rate was low. In healthcare research, one study found that older African American men who witnessed the Tuskegee disclosure were less likely to engage in healthcare (Alsan & Wanamaker, 2017). Health disparities researchers face a conundrum, to change health disparities we must study a population that is hesitant to engage in research. To make an impact on health care disparities, researchers should understand barriers to engaging in research and how to gain trust in minority communities. This workshop will focus on the experiences that African American men with prostate cancer face. As well as how to engage African American men in health disparities research.
Objectives
- Identify ways to engage African American men in health disparities research.
- Describe ways that researchers can engage community partners to help recruit minority research participants.
- Describe barriers to engaging African American men in prostate cancer research.