RT Article
T1 Collective Fear, Individualized Risk: the social and cultural context of genetic testing forbreast cancer
JF Nursing ethics
VO 7
IS 3
SP 237
OP 249
A1 Press, Nancy
A1 Fishman, Jennifer R
A1 Koenig, Barbara A
LA English
PB Sage
YR 2000
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1779439237
AB The purpose of this article is to provide a critical examination of two aspects of culture and biomedicine that have helped to shape the meaning and practice of genetic testing for breast cancer. These are: (1) the cultural construction of fear of breast cancer, which has been fuelled in part by (2) the predominance of a ‘risk’ paradigm in contemporary biomedicine. The increasing elaboration and delineation of risk factors and risk numbers are in part intended to help women to contend with their fear of breast cancer. However, because there is no known cure or foolproof prevention for breast cancer, risk designations bring with them recommendations for vigilant surveillance strategies and screening guidelines. We argue that these in effect exacerbate women’s fears of breast cancer itself. The volatile combination of discourses of fear, risk and surveillance have significant ethical and social consequences for women’s lives and well-being. Genetic testing decisions are made within this context; if nurses understand this context they can play an important role in helping women to cope with the anxiety and fear of breast cancer risk.
K1 Risk
K1 genetic testing
K1 Ethics
K1 Culture
K1 Breast Cancer
DO 10.1177/096973300000700306