Measurement of colposcopy-associated distress using the psychosocial effects of having an abnormal pap smear-questionnaire in a Latina population

To elicit factors associated with distress in Latina colposcopy patients. Three hundred two Caribbean Latinas attending a colposcopy clinic took the Psychosocial Effects of Having an Abnormal Pap Smear-Questionnaire, which measures distress using 14 questions grouped into four dimensions. A Spanish-language translation was tested. Age ranged from 15 to 65 years (mean = 27 years); 220 of 301 women (73%) were undergoing a first colposcopy; 51 of 301 (16.9%) reported depression, and 25 of 298 (8.4%) reported anxiety. A majority of women were distressed at the prospect of having cancer (166/299; 55.6%), of their results being positive for cancer (164/299; 54.8%), and of dying (150/300; 50%); "worry about the ability to have a baby" and "feeling tense" during the procedure followed. Younger women (/= 0.73, for 13 of 14 questions. Depressed or anxious patients and Spanish speakers were not more distressed than their counterparts. The prospect of having cancer and dying is the greatest source of distress in Caribbean Latina colposcopy patients, not the procedure itself. Younger and first-time patients were more distressed than older, experienced ones. Speaking Spanish was not associated with greater distress.