
Purpose: Embarrassment is an unpleasant emotion that women undergoing Papanicolaou (Pap) tests often experience. These experiences differ according to individual, interactional and cognitive-emotional factors of embarrassment. This study was conducted to identify the factors influencing Pap test embarrassment (PapE) using a path analysis. Methods: 281 women who had Pap tests at four screening sites in G city completed questionnaires assessing the relationships among general characteristics, service locations, medical embarrassment (ME), and PapE. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 Package and LISREL 8.8 program. Results: PapE was directly influenced by ME, and also both directly and indirectly affected by dispositional embarrassability and sexual experience, while only indirectly affected by psychological experience through ME. PapE concerning social face was both directly and indirectly affected by ME and dispositional embarrassability, while indirectly affected by both income and psychological experience. Only PapE and ME social judgement concern directly affected PapE concerning social face. Conclusion: To prevent PapE, it seems necessary for health professionals to primarily focus on ME, and then on other factors such as PapE, dispositional embarrassability, ME social judgement, and general characteristics (i.e. education and psychological experience) alongside ME.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 2 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
