| Korean immigrant women, who make up one of six major sub-populations in Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the United States, have drastically lower rates of breast cancer screening than that of women in general. While the limited literature on breast cancer screening in Korean immigrant women reports cognitive, affective, and environmental constraints to breast cancer screening, no research has investigated the sociocultural contexts of breast cancer screening for Korean immigrant women. This Grounded Theory study explores and interprets the cross-generational and sociocultural processes of breast cancer screening among Korean immigrant women.; Twenty Korean immigrant women, age between 20 and 81, participated in two consecutive qualitative interviews conducted in Korean language. The qualitative data was transcribed and analyzed using the constant comparison technique. The first level coding was carried out in Korean language in order to preserve any Korean culturally embedded expressions or nuances. English translation occurred from the second level coding constantly comparing the contextual meanings between two languages.; "Balancing relationships within a discordant world" is the core concept of the process of breast cancer screening among Korean immigrant women. The findings indicate that there are sociocultural discords in perceptions of breast cancer and screening procedures between Asian ways of thinking and Western biomedical premises. Strategies for integrating these dissonances consisted of three major themes, i.e., acknowledging the fundamental principles of breast cancer screening, putting up with non-traditional treatment of the breast, and dealing with a disturbance in daily life. The situation-specific theory of "balancing relationships within a discordant world" illustrates how Korean immigrant women interact with Western medical procedures and why these interactions evoke multiple dissonances with their cultural reasoning. The findings of this study shed lights on assessing and interpreting health behaviors among culturally diverse populations including Korean immigrants. |
