Verbal social support for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients during surgical decision-making visits

Abstract

This study reports an analysis of verbal social support strategies directed by surgeons and patients’ companions to breast cancer patients using the social support behavior code. Additionally, the influence of companions on the provision of social support is examined. Forty-six videotapes of appointments where treatment regimens were being decided were analyzed. Results demonstrated that the majority of units spoken by surgeons were coded as verbal social support, primarily in the form of informational social support. Companions’ social support was lower (relative to surgeons) in nearly every category of social support assessed. Patients who brought companions were found to receive more network social support from surgeons. Overall, these results point to low emotional support from surgeons and companions for patients during these appointments, which indicates a need for modifications in empathy training for medical providers.

Keywords:

• Breast cancer
• Social support
• Communication
• Decision making
• Surgeons
• Patient companions
• Videotapes
• Medical interview

Disclaimer statements

Contributors S.N. and K.S.: writing, study design, analysis. J.R.: writing, grant funding.

Funding This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute [1-R21-CA143253-01A1] and the Cancer institute of New Jersey [P30CA072720].

Conflicts of interest None.

Ethics approval This research received ethical approval from the IRB at Michigan State University.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Samantha Nazione

Samantha Nazione is an assistant professor in the Communication Department at Berry College. She received her PhD in communication from Michigan State University in 2013. She received an excellence-in-teaching citation from Michigan State University that same year. Her research focuses on persuasion within the context of health. She is an author on over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, including those appearing in the Journal of Health Communication, Journal of Applied Communication Research, and Medical Education. Dr Nazione teaches public relations courses in the Communication Department at Berry College, as well as teaching Rhetoric and Public Address for future health care professionals.

Kami J. Silk

Dr Kami Silk is an professor in the Department of Communication and the director of the MA Program in Health & Risk Communication at Michigan State University; she also has an appointment with the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES). She researches in the general area of health communication, with a specific interest in developing effective health messages for the lay public that are sensitive to health literacy issues. Dr Silk is currently a co-investigator for an NCI and NIEHS funded grant that investigates the links between the environment and breast cancer. With an emphasis on adolescent lifestyle factors [nutrition and exercise] as a strategy for risk reduction, Dr Silk is developing health messages for mothers of adolescent girls. Dr Silk is also funded through MAES to investigate public perceptions of bioeconomy initiatives.

Jeffrey Robinson

Prior to arriving at Portland State University, Dr Jeffrey D. Robinson taught in the Departments of Communication at The Pennsylvania State University and Rutgers University. He has published over 50 journal articles and book chapters in both national and international outlets. He specializes in two subfields within the discipline of communication. First, he specializes in Language and Social Interaction, which examines the rules that guide interactants’ use and interpretation of language, and the role of talk-in-interaction in the construction and negotiation of social meanings, identities, and relationships. Second, he specializes in Health Communication, which examines how and why face-to-face communication (e.g., doctor–patient communication) affects aspects of healthcare and health promotion, including individuals’ physical, emotional, mental, and/or spiritual health. Dr Robinson's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.