Damaged Masculinity: How Honor Endorsement Can Influence Prostate Cancer Screening Decision-Making and Prostate...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Sociology
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Societal factors influence men's health decisions, including cancer screenings.
• Cultures of honor, emphasizing reputation and social standing, may impact health-seeking behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if endorsing cultures of honor acts as a barrier to prostate cancer screenings.
• To examine the association between culture of honor ideology, screening stigma, and prostate cancer mortality.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Analyzed the impact of stigma on men's decisions regarding prostate cancer screenings.
• Study 2: Compared prostate cancer death rates in honor-oriented versus non-honor-oriented US regions.

Main Results:

• Older men endorsing honor ideology were less likely to have undergone prostate cancer screening, linked to screening stigma.
• Regions with a strong culture of honor (e.g., southern/western US) showed higher prostate cancer death rates than non-honor regions (e.g., northern US).

Conclusions:

• Cultural honor ideology can be a significant barrier to men seeking prostate cancer screenings.
• Addressing cultural frameworks is crucial for improving screening uptake and reducing prostate cancer mortality.