Latino Fatalism May Cause Cancer Deaths

The International Journal of Behavioral Medicine is set to release a study showing that the Catholic-ish belief that things are in God’s hands may lead Latinas to believe that cancer is not preventable.

But before we get into the Journal’s press release, a little discussion.  First, let’s remember that we find what we seek.  In other words, this study set out to find whether fatalism affected peoples’ beliefs, and well, found that fatalism affected peoples’ beliefs.  Secondly, let’s also remember that the mental health field (and, I’d dare say, medicine in general) in the U.S. is very white-, male-, middle class- and generally Western-centric.  Which is to say, anything that lies outside of the values of this group is considered somewhat “abnormal.”

Getting back to the study, Latina women are “more likely than white women to believe that cancer is not preventable, and that death is inevitable in those diagnosed with cancer.”  Researchers from San Diego State University, Karla Espinosa de los Monteros and Linda Gallo, reviewed 11 studies examining Latina beliefs in fatalism and screening rates for cervical, breast and colorectal cancers.

The studies accomplished this by asking to agree or disagree with statements like:  “cancer is like a death sentence,” “cancer is God’s punishment,” “illness is a matter of chance,” “there is little that I can do to prevent cancer,” and “it does not do any good to try to change the future because the future is in the hands of God.”

While the study points out that it was trying to establish cultural competency for those trying to screen for these cancers, I can’t get over the fact that the study’s design is a little unfair.  I’m a college-educated Latina currently in graduate school and I still say almost on a daily basis, “Si Dios quiere” or “Ojalá.”  If you take a group of people who say things like that all the time and then ask them if God has power over what happens to you, I think it’s obvious what your answer will be.

What do you all think?