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Published on: February 16, 2011
A situational construal approach to healthcare experiences
Patrick Morse1, Kate Sweeny1, Angela M Legg2
1University of California, Riverside, Department of Psychology, 900 University Ave., Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Background:
The Situational Construal Model proposes that characteristics of persons and situations interact to influence construal of situations and resultant behavior. We apply this framework to the study of healthcare experiences in two studies.
Methods:
In Study 1, mTurk users (N = 670) read vignettes of positive, neutral, or negative healthcare experiences, described their construal of the vignette, and completed individual difference measures. In Study 2, mTurk users (N = 292) recalled a recent healthcare visit and reported individual differences, visit characteristics, and outcomes following the visit.
Results:
Across both studies, personality was related to the valenced construal of healthcare experiences. In Study 2, patient and visit characteristics predicted situational construal and self-reported visit outcomes, and situational construal statistically mediated relationships between patient and visit characteristics and outcomes.
Conclusions:
The current work supports the application of the Situational Construal Model to healthcare situations and demonstrates the importance of both person and situation variables for understanding key healthcare outcomes.
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