Does Hopelessness of Turkish Women Affect their BehaviorRegarding Cervical Cancer Prevention and Early Diagnosis?

Background: The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate attitudes women of towards cervicalcancer prevention applications and early diagnosis, and whether or not their hopelessness levels had any influence.Materials and
Methods: The present study was carried out in Isparta with a descriptive design. A sample of 251individuals was recruited from January 2011 through May 2011 in the largest tea garden (restaurant- cafe).The data collection tool consisted of two parts: a “Questionnaire Form” identifying women; and the “BeckHopelessness Scale”. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 16.0for Windows for the numerical and percentage distribution, average, standard deviation with the ANOVA andMann-Whitney tests.
Results: Some 70.2 % of the woman indicated that they had not taken the Pap test. There wasa significant relationship between the hopelessness level and women believing that they could protect themselvesfrom getting cervical cancer (F=10.11 p=0.00). There was a significant relationship between hopelessness levelsand believing whether or not early diagnosis tests are deterministic (F=8.781 p=0.00).
Conclusion: Our studyconcluded that the hopelessness level of women had an effect on their thoughts about cervical cancer preventionand early diagnosis.