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Depressive symptoms are elevated among women recalled for cancer screening (Ekeberg et al., 2001) and among those diagnosed with cancer (Burgess et al., 2005), but the effect of depressive symptoms on likelihood of screening for breast and cervical cancers is unclear (Dooren et al., 2003; Pirraglia et al., 2004). This research tests the hypothesis that depressive symptoms are associated with a lower likelihood of follow-up among low-income uninsured women enrolled in state public health program and explores relationships between depressive symptoms and program satisfaction, barriers to screening, and likelihood of cancer diagnosis. Methods: A random sample of 207 low-income women participating in the CDC-funded Massachusetts Department of Public Health's breast and cervical screening program was surveyed by phone. Depressive symptoms were measured with a two-question screening index tested by Haggman et al. (2004) with physical therapy patients. Results: 38% of the sample was identified as having at least one depressive symptom; 19% as having two. Depressive symptoms were associated with less frequent help from case managers, less satisfaction with case management, and reports of more problems in receiving services. Depressive symptoms were also associated with poorer ratings of physical health, but not with a greater likelihood of receiving a cancer diagnosis. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are associated with greater anxiety about health service utilization and less satisfying interactions with service staff. Medical and allied staff should be sensitive to the prevalence of depressive symptoms in low-income women being screened for breast and cervical cancer and seek to overcome associated barriers. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]