Understanding (de)motivating interaction styles of healthcare professionals in training: a profile approach

Self-management is important for people coping with chronic diseases. The self-determination theory (SDT) emphasizes the role of healthcare professionals' (HCPs) (de)motivating interaction styles in either supporting or thwarting patients' self-management behavior. Since developing (de)motivating interaction styles starts during education, this study aimed to identify profiles among HCPs in training based on their (de)motivating interaction styles and to assess how these profiles differ in sample characteristics, SDT-beliefs, and self-efficacy in self-management support. Cross-sectional data were collected using self-reported questionnaires among nurses (n = 125) and physiotherapists (n = 257) in training (total participants: n = 382). Cluster analyses were performed to identify the profiles followed by chi-square tests and MANCOVA-tests to assess profile differences. Five profiles were identified, labelled as: motivating (16%), active (22%), undifferentiated (29%), demotivating (17%) and inactive (17%). The motivating profile contained fewer men (10%), while the demotivating profile had a higher proportion of men (52%) compared to the whole sample distribution (28%). Fewer nursing students were categorized to the active profile (20%) compared to the overall sample distribution (33%). Higher SDT-beliefs and self-efficacy in self-management support were noted in the motivating and active profiles as opposed to the demotivating and inactive profiles. These results contribute to a better understanding of healthcare students' interaction styles during patient self-management support. In education of HCPs, a focus on improving SDT-beliefs and self-efficacy in self-management support, may help HCPs to improve their interaction profile towards people with chronic diseases.