Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Introduction:

This study examined factors associated with sexual and cervical cancer screening behaviors among Middle Eastern (ME) college women.

Methods:

This cross-sectional design included 406 college women of ME Arab background in the United States. Data were collected via an anonymous online survey. Analysis included regression models to identify predictors of sexual and screening behaviors.

Results:

The rates were 61% ever having sexual intercourse, 24% sexual debut <18 years, 44% having >1 sexual partner in lifetime, 50% condom use in last sexual encounter, 78% other contraception methods, and 25% ever having a Pap test. The composite cervical cancer risk score, based on these behaviors, was significantly lower among single undergraduates belonging to student/religious organizations and having liberal attitudes toward women and traditional views towards sexuality.

Discussion:

The study findings have implications for practice and research around sexual and screening behaviors related to cervical cancer among this population of young women on college campuses.

Keywords

Middle Eastern college women Arab American women cervical cancer risk college women risky sexual behaviors

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abboud

De Penning

Brawner

B. M.

Menon

Glanz

Sommers

M. S.

(2017). Cervical cancer screening among Arab women in the United States: An integrative review. Oncology Nursing Forum, 44(1), E20–E33. https://doi.org/10.1188/17.ONF.E20-E33

Abboud

Flores

Redmond

Brawner

B. M.

Sommers

M. S.

(2021). Sexual attitudes and behaviours among Arab American young adults in the USA. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 23(12), 1591–1607. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691058.2020.1788163

Abdulhadi

Alsultany

Naber

N. C.

(2011). Arab & Arab American feminisms: Gender, violence, & belonging (1st ed.). Syracuse University Press.

Ackerson

Zielinski

Patel

(2014). Female college students’ beliefs about cervical cancer screening. Journal of Research in Nursing, 20(2), 147–159. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987114534950

Ahmed

Rojas

Degarege

(2020). Knowledge of cervical cancer and adherence to Pap Smear Screening Test among female university students in a Multiethnic Institution, USA. Journal of National Medical Association, 112(3), 300–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2020.03.007

Ahmed

Abu-Ras

Arfken

C. L.

(2014). Prevalence of risk behaviors among U.S. Muslim college students. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 8(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.10381607.0008.101

Al-Badayneh

D. M.

(2012). Violence against women in Jordan. Journal of Family Violence, 27(5), 369–379. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-012-9429-1

Aldohaian

A. I.

Alshammari

S. A.

Arafah

D. M.

(2019). Using the Health belief model to assess beliefs and behaviors regarding cervical cancer screening among Saudi women: A cross-sectional observational study. BMC Women’s Health, 19, Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-018-0701-2

American Cancer Society. (2024). Cancer facts & figures 2024. https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/2024-cancer-facts-figures.html

10.

Arab American Institute. (2019). National Arab American demographics. https://www.aaiusa.org/demographics

11.

Arnett Jensen

(2011). Emerging adulthood(s): The cultural psychology of a new life stage. In Arnett Jensen

(Ed.), Bridging cultural and developmental approaches to psychology: New syntheses in theory, research, and policy (pp. 255–275). Oxford University Press.

12.

Askun

Ataca

(2007). Sexuality related attitudes and behaviors of Turkish university students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(5), 741–752. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-007-9186-z

13.

Assoumou

Phan

Coughenour

(2023). Food insecurity and risky sexual behaviors among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Public Health, 23(1), Article 1552. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16330-2

14.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Behavioral risk factor surveillance system. http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/

15.

Cohen

Kamarck

Mermelstein

(1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385–396. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6668417

16.

Dallo

F. J.

Kindratt

T. B.

(2015). Disparities in vaccinations and cancer screening among U.S.- and foreign-born Arab and European American non-Hispanic White women. Women’s Health Issues, 25(1), 56–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2014.10.002

17.

Haj-Yahia

M. M.

(1998). Beliefs about wife-beating among Palestinian women: The influence of their patriarchal ideology. Violence Against Women, 4(5), 533–558. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801298004005

18.

Haj-Yahia

M. M.

(2002). Attitudes of Arab women toward different patterns of coping with wife abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 17(7), 721–745. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260502017007002

19.

Haj-Yahia

M. M.

(2002). Beliefs of Jordanian women about wife beating. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 282–291. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-6402.t01-1-00067

20.

Haj-Yahia

M. M.

Zaatut

(2015). Beliefs of Palestinian women from Israel about the responsibility and punishment of violent husbands and about helping battered women. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515608802

21.

Hasnain

Connell

K. J.

Menon

Tranmer

P. A.

(2011). Patient-centered care for Muslim women: Provider and patient perspectives. Journal of Women’s Health, 20(1), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2010.2197

22.

İlkkaracan

(2016). Deconstructing sexuality in the Middle East: Challenges and discourses. Routledge.

23.

Kozachek

C. C.

Btoush

R. M.

(2025). Smoking behaviors among Middle Eastern college women in the United States. Journal of American College Health, 73(3), 920–930. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2337003

24.

Lipson

J. G.

(1983). Issues in health care of Middle Eastern patients. The Western Journal of Medicine, 139(6), 854–861. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6364575/

25.

Lopez

Gonzalez-Barrera

Lopez

(2017). Hispanic identity fades across generations as immigrant connections fall away: Pew Research Center report. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2017/12/20/hispanic-identity-fades-across-generations-as-immigrant-connections-fall-away/

26.

Nassar-McMillan

Ajrouch

Hakim-Larson

(2015). Biopsychosocial perspectives on Arab Americans: Culture, development, and health. Springer.

27.

Padela

A. I.

Peek

Johnson-Agbakwu

C. E.

Hosseinian

Curlin

(2014). Associations between religion-related factors and cervical cancer screening among Muslims in greater Chicago. Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, 18(4), 326–332. https://doi.org/10.1097/LGT.0000000000000026

28.

Rippy

A. E.

Newman

(2008). Adaptation of a scale of race-related stress for use with Muslim Americans. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 3, 53–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564900802035292

29.

Roberts

Kennedy

(2006). Why are young college women not using condoms? Their perceived risk, drug use, and developmental vulnerability may provide important clues to sexual risk. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 20(1), 32–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2005.08.008

30.

Ryder

A. G.

Alden

L. E.

Paulhus

D. L.

(2000). Is acculturation unidimensional or bidimensional? A head-to-head comparison in the prediction of personality, self-identity, and adjustment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(1), 49–65. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.79.1.49

31.

Schneider

Krieger

Bayraktar

(2011). The impact of intrinsic religiosity on consumers’ ethical beliefs: Does it depend on the type of religion? A comparison of Christian and Moslem consumers in Germany and Turkey. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(2), 319–332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0816-y

32.

Schwartz

S. M.

Zamboanga

Ham

Park

I. A.

Kim

S. Y.

Weisskirch

Castillo

Huynh

Q. L.

Donovan

Vernon

Davis

Cano

(2010). Dimensions of acculturation: Associations with health risk behaviors among college students from immigrant families. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(1), 27–41. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021356

33.

Scull

Keefe

Kafka

Malik

Kupersmidt

(2020). The understudied half of undergraduates: Risky sexual behaviors among community college students. Journal of American College Health, 68, 302–312. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2018.1549554

34.

Shearer

C. L.

Hosterman

S. J.

Gillen

M. M.

Lefkowitz

E. S.

(2005). Are traditional gender role attitudes associated with risky sexual behavior and condom-related beliefs? Sex Roles, 52(5), 311–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-2675-4

35.

Spence

J. T.

Helmreich

(1978). Masculinity and femininity: Their psychological correlates and antecedents. University of Texas Press.

36.

Sprecher

(1989). Premarital sexual standards for different categories of individuals. Journal of Sex Research, 26, 232–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224498909551508

37.

US Preventive Services Task Force. (2018). Cervical Cancer: Screening. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/cervical-cancer-screening#fullrecommendationstart

38.

Vaglio

Jr. Conard

Poston

W. S.

O’Keefe

Haddock

C. K.

House

Spertus

J. A.

(2004). Testing the performance of the ENRICHD Social Support Instrument in cardiac patients. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2, Article 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-2-24

39.

Vasquez-Otero

Thompson

E. L.

Daley

E. M.

Griner

S. B.

Logan

Vamos

C. A.

(2016). Dispelling the myth: Exploring associations between the HPV vaccine and inconsistent condom use among college students. Preventive Medicine, 93, 147–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.10.007

40.

Willage

(2020). Unintended consequences of health insurance: Affordable Care Act’s free contraception mandate and risky sex. Health Economics, 29, 30–35. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3967

41.

World Health Organization. (2023). Cervical cancer. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cervical-cancer

Cervical Cancer Risk: Sexual and Screening Behaviors Among Middle Eastern College Women in the United States

Abstract

Introduction:

Methods:

Results:

Discussion:

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References