‘It’s not only business or embarrassment’: Justifying non-attendance of cervical screening on social media discussions

Abstract

This research applied discursive psychological analysis to discussions about cervical screening on Facebook and Twitter. The analysisfocused on how people justify not attending cervical screening. Previous research lias identified barriers to attending cervical screening such as embarrassment, fear of pain, and the procedure being too triggering for survivors of sexual assault. Findings identified three discourses around how social media users positioned attendance and non-attendance: (i) practical barriers such as the length of time waiting for results; (ii) psychological barriers such as cervical screenings being triggering for survivors of sexual assault; (iii) taking accountability for non-attendance. Findings are discussed in light of how non-attendance to cervical screenings is accounted for, which campaigners could consider when promoting the importance of attending cervical screening.