Abstract A023: Do African American informal caregivers’ breast cancer fear and cultural misconceptions predict the spread of breast cancer misinformation among their social networks?
Authors: Bergeron Nyahne Q , Strahan Mona , Strayhorn Shaila , Khanna Aditya , Villines Dana , Watson Karriem , Ferrans Carol , Molina Yamile 
Published: September 2020

Introduction: African American women experience a disproportionate burden of breast cancer morbidity and mortality. Members of African American breast cancer survivors’ social networks often act as informal caregivers, offering psychosocial support, sharing important information, and assisting with treatment adherence. They may thus serve as opinion leaders within their own social networks, especially if they are also women and are within the recommended age for breast cancer screening. Nonetheless, informal caregivers are not formally trained and may be vulnerable to cultural misconceptions and higher levels of fear through their firsthand experiences as caregivers. Understanding the relationship between breast cancer cultural misconceptions, fear and the spread of misinformation among the social networks is crucial; yet, little research has been done in this area. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the Offering African Survivors Increased Support (OASIS) study, which assesses African American breast cancer survivors’ experiences with cancer care. To be eligible, participants had to be: 1) identified as a support person by a survivor; 2) female; and, 3) 50-74 years old. We used the validated Ferrans Cultural Beliefs and Champion Breast Cancer Fear scales to quantify cultural misconceptions and fear retrospectively. For social network dissemination, we used a modified Burt’s General Social Survey instrument and coded open-ended fields regarding communication between caregivers and up to 5 network caregivers. Results: 30 informal caregivers were surveyed. Sixty percent reported at least one cultural misconception, the most common misconception being “If breast cancer is cut open in surgery, it will grow faster.” Approximately 33% further disseminated cultural misconceptions to 2 or more people within their networks. After adjusting for education, our multivariable linear regression suggested that informal caregivers who report greater breast cancer fear (Std B = 0.46, p = .008) and more misconceptions (Std B = 0.44, p = .02) disseminated cultural misconceptions to more people within their network. Conclusion: Informal caregivers that reported greater misconceptions and fear related to breast cancer were significantly more likely to share breast cancer misinformation to their social networks. These results show the value of initiatives in clinical and community settings that address these misconceptions and support increased breast cancer screening. Future research will assess the specific recipients of miscommunication (e.g., family, friends) and how this miscommunication is associated with the likelihood of obtaining breast cancer screening among their networks.

Citation Format: Nyahne Q Bergeron, Mona Strahan, Shaila Strayhorn, Aditya Khanna, Dana Villines, Karriem Watson, Carol Ferrans, Yamile Molina. Do African American informal caregivers’ breast cancer fear and cultural misconceptions predict the spread of breast cancer misinformation among their social networks? [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr A023.