The Formation Mechanism of Trust in Patient from Healthcare Professional's Perspective: A Conditional Process Model

Based on an integrated model of doctor-patient psychological mechanisms, the formation mechanism of doctor--patient trust was systematically demonstrated from the healthcare professional (HCP)'s perspective integrating intergroup relations (expectations), interpersonal relations (communication), and psychosocial (stereotypes). The results of a survey of 3000 doctors and nurses from 14 provinces in eastern, central, and western China support the rationality of an integrated model of doctor-patient psychological mechanisms. The establishment of doctor-patient trust is influenced by the direct role of primary intergroup factors, the indirect role of immediate interpersonal interactions, and the moderating role of social psychology. Specifically, (1) doctor-patient trust is directly predicted by HCP's expectation and indirectly influenced by communication; (2) stereotypes regulate the relationship between HCP's expectation, communication, and doctor-patient trust: the activation of positive stereotypes enhances the positive relationship among the three; Negative stereotypes only positively contribute to mediated pathway-communication behaviors and have a weaker facilitation effect compared to positive stereotypes.