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AllahabadThe main objective of this study is to examine the explanatory models which Indian women use to understand their life threatening diseases. Tbepaper also examines the linkages between these causal explanations and their psychological recovery. Earlier work has shown that in the Indian cultural setting, hospitalised patients attributed their illness more often to metaphysical beliefs. A sample of 132 adult cervical cancer patients from rural background was divided into three groups according to the stage of treatment (first week of radiation therapy, last week of radiation therapy, and subsequent check-up) and interviewed. The findings reveal thatpatients more often attributed their illness to metaphysical beliefs: fate, God's will, karma than to other factors. These factors, however, showed no clear linkages with psychological recovery, which was negatively correlated with attributions to family conditions, physical weakness and mental stress. Implications of these findings for providing better care to cancer patients are discussed.hen a life-threatening illness strikes the individual, the primary concern of the patient is searching and understanding the causes of such illness. Such causal understanding is essential to sustain hope of recovery and to decide the future course of action. Many studies (Radley, 1994) have shown that people not only seek medical explanations of their disease but also try to understand the disease within their social and cultural context. A commonsense undei standing of at UNIV NEBRASKA LIBRARIES on April 4, 2015 pds.sagepub.com Downloaded from

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Breast cancer is the most frequently occurring malignancy among women in India, however, the recorded stage distribution at presentation in India is less favorable than in Europe. Health beliefs are important in help-seeking for potential symptoms of disease, which may be particularly important among women who do not have access to breast screening programs. The purpose of this study was to examine Indian women's beliefs about breast cancer and help-seeking for the disease and how these beliefs related to their intentions to seek help for a symptom of breast cancer. Furthermore, the study aimed to examine differences in the beliefs of urban- and rural-based women. Of 800 women, 685 were recruited in Allahabad in Northern India (response rate 86%). The women completed a questionnaire examining beliefs about breast cancer and help-seeking. One in four women reported that they would delay seeking help for at least one month following the discovery of a symptom of breast cancer. Rural respondents held more negative beliefs about breast cancer and were also more likely to report less positive attitudes toward help-seeking and a belief that they would be discouraged from seeking help. The findings of the study provide suggestions for the targeting of an intervention aimed at improving early detection and help-seeking for breast cancer symptoms. This may be of particular importance in India where a breast cancer screening program does not currently exist and is being debated.