Interactions Between Patients and Providers

Abstract

This study measured the processes and outcomes of emotional support in interactions between adult cancer patients and health providers. The patients included 21 young, 22 middle-aged, and 21 older adults. Emotional support processes were assessed as desired support, received support, and congruence. Outcomes were assessed according to patients' evaluative reactions (i.e., depth/ smoothness) and changed positive mood. The three age groups were compared using multivariate and univariate analyses of variance. The age groups did not differ in their overall desire for emotional support. In the analyses of separate components of emotional support, however, the author found that during interactions with health care providers, older patients felt that intimacy was most important, whereas young patients felt that being able to ventilate their feelings was most important. In addition, the older patients received less emotional support from providers than did middle-aged patients, but young patients were more inclined than the other two groups to feel that the emotional support they received was not congruent with the support they desired. In relation to outcome, the oldest and youngest groups attributed less depth to the interactions than did the middleaged group. By contrast, all three age groups experienced a similar degree of smoothness in the interactions. Finally, all age groups expressed greater positivity after interactions with providers.