Addressing Disparities by Evaluating Depression as a Predictor of Prostate Screenings among Black Men in a Community Health Clinic

ABSTRACT

To explore prostate and depression screening practices as well as predictors for prostate screening among a diverse group of men seen at a nurse-led community health center. This was a retrospective, exploratory study. Social factors, depression, and prostate screening data on 267 male patients were retrieved from medical records from 2014 to 2018. Patients that were not screened for depression were associated with a lower probability of having received a PSA screening (OR = .40, p = 02). Of those screened for depression, higher scores were associated with lower PSA screening (OR = .89, p = .02). Patients who self-identified as Hispanic (OR = .19, p <. 001), African American (AA) (OR = .06, P = .01) or White (OR = .12, P = .02) had lower odds of PSA screening compared to Black-Caribbean. The above clinical evidence is a practice implication for nurses and health care professionals. Depression screening predicted higher rates of prostate screening, while higher depression scores predicted lower prostate screening. AA and Hispanic subgroups were less likely to be screened for prostate cancer than the non-U.S. born Black-Caribbean men. Findings underscore the importance of developing community-based culturally sensitive approaches to prostate preventative care. Nurses and health providers must understand that diversity within the “Black” population exists, and these differences drive health behaviors. Person-centered care that is culturally sensitive will be essential in developing trust with communities of color to increase prostate cancer screening and health equity.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Availability of Data

The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article. Corresponding author was supported by National Institutes of Health/National Hearth, Lung, and Blood Institute: L30HL154217 and The Florida State University’s Health Data Science Initiative.