The Influence of Perceived Provider Empathic Communication on Disclosure Decision-Making.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Psychology
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Provider empathy is vital for therapeutic relationships.
• Perceived empathy enhances patient psychological adjustment and disclosure confidence.
• The disclosure decision-making model guides understanding patient information sharing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how perceived empathy influences psychological adjustment and disclosure efficacy in breast cancer patients.
• To test a mediation model linking oncologist empathic communication, psychological adjustment, and disclosure enactment.
• To compare current and former breast cancer patients regarding these factors.

Main Methods:

• A mediation model was tested using data from 111 current and 174 former breast cancer patients.
• Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships.
• Patient perceptions of oncologist empathic communication, psychological adjustment, and disclosure efficacy were measured.

Main Results:

• Former patients reported higher perceived empathy, better psychological adjustment, and greater disclosure efficacy than current patients.
• SEM showed perceived empathic communication positively predicted disclosure efficacy, which in turn predicted more sharing and less withholding.
• Psychological adjustment partially mediated the relationship between empathic communication and disclosure efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Oncologist empathic communication is crucial for breast cancer patients' psychological adjustment and effective information disclosure.
• Improving provider empathy can enhance patient engagement and support holistic cancer care.
• Findings underscore the importance of empathy throughout the cancer patient journey.