KEY WORDS: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN, BREAST CANCER, EMOTIONAL RESPONSE

Breast cancer is an emotionally challenging disease for women. Little is known about African American women’s emotional responses to breast cancer. This exploratory study focuses on the emotional responses of African American women throughout their breast cancer experience. Sixty-six African American women, age 35 to 76, living in the southeastern United States participated in focus group interviews. There were five emotional response themes consisting of response to discovery, diagnosis, treatment options, treatment, and recovery. Findings from this study may assist health-care professionals with a richer insight regarding the emotions and feelings of African American women with breast cancer. This may help with providing culturally sensitive and appropriate care throughout their illness trajectory. Among African American women, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, and African American women also have a poorer survival rate from breast cancer when compared to women from other ethnic/racial groups (American Cancer Society, 2003; Joslyn & West, 2000). African American women have been found to be more fearful of breast cancer and to find little hope in one’s chances of survival after diagnosis when compared to Caucasian women (Barroso et al., 2000; Facione et al., 2002; Miller & Champion, 1997). The feelings, beliefs, and attitudes that may be shared among African American women regarding breast cancer may impact their decision to seek or delay seeking care for breast cancer symptoms and/or treatment (Facione & Giancarlo, 1998