Women’s anxiety and perceptions of Pap tests in North-eastern Romania

Cervical cancer is still a substantial global public health issue among women.In the prevention and early diagnosis, cervical cancer screening plays a crucial role (1).However, acceptance of and participation in this screening are influenced by various factors.Woman's psychological status, including stress, anxiety, depression, or individual perception of health, can influence the decision to participate in cervical cancer screening.The current study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing in women in the North-eastern Romania.Materials and methods: This study was conducted using a questionnaire specifically developed for this study, which included structured questions aimed to assess various aspects of the psychological impact of cervical cancer screening.The statistical analysis for this study was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.Results: The study indicated a significant positive association between the perception that the Pap test was painful and anxiety related to unfavorable results and fertility concerns fertility.Younger women tend to have their Pap test more often than older women.Women with previous negative Pap test results tend to have lower levels of anxiety related to unfavorable results compared to women previously experiencing positive Pap test results.The results indicated that the regression model (i.e., age, perceptions about the Pap testcost, pain, and embarrassment) did not significantly predict the anxiety related to unfavor able results.Conclusions: Our study highlights important psychosocial aspects related to cervical cancer screening and provides a foundation for improving health promotion services and risk awareness programs.