ArticlePatient education and counseling2023
Facilitating psychological adjustment for breast cancer patients through empathic communication and uncertainty reduction.
Article in Patient education and counseling, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Psychological Distress in Bladder Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.Cancer medicine · 2024Pooled it
- "The uncharted waters of completely not knowing what's next": rare cancer patients' experiences regarding navigating uncertainty.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Effects of positive psychological intervention on psychosocial adjustment in childbearing-age patients with breast cancer.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Promoting Resilience in Stress Management (PRISM) for women with breast cancer: a qualitative analysis of patient impressions and recommendations.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2025Article
- Breast cancer patient experiences with and preferences for time alone with their cancer care team.Patient education and counseling · 2025Article
- Knowledge, attitude, and practice among non-breast cancer women towards breast cancer screening with a focus on economic factors.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Quality of life, insomnia, attitudes and beliefs in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer: a cross-sectional study in Amol city Northern Iran.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- Culturally appropriate patient-provider communication methods for Black women with breast cancer: a scoping review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- The Influence of Perceived Provider Empathic Communication on Disclosure Decision-Making.Health communication · 2024Article
- Examining the role of pre-visit anxiety on patient uncertainty and breast cancer patient-provider communication.Cancer medicine · 2024Article
- Perioperative Patient-Initiated Communication in Gender-Affirming Mastectomy.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Supporting the support person: Oncologists' roles in reducing support people's uncertainty and facilitating psychological adjustment.Psycho-oncology · 2024Article
- Review
- Interpersonal Processes of Care Disparities, Symptom Distress, and Chemotherapy Dosing in Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer.Nursing researchArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesThis study examined the degree to which breast cancer patients' psychological well-being is facilitated through empathic provider communication. We explored symptom/prognostic uncertainty reduction as a mechanism through which provider communication influences patient psychological adjustment. Additionally, we tested if treatment status moderates this relationship.
methodsInformed by uncertainty in illness theory, current (n = 121) and former (n = 187) breast cancer patients completed questionnaires about perceptions of their oncologists' empathy and their symptom burden, uncertainty, and adjustment to their diagnosis. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to test hypothesized relationships between perceived provider empathic communication, uncertainty, symptom burden, and psychological adjustment.
resultsSEM supported the following: (1) higher symptom burden was associated with increased uncertainty and reduced psychological adjustment, (2) lower uncertainty was associated with increased adjustment, and (3) increased empathic communication was associated with lower symptom burden and uncertainty for all patients (χ
conclusionsResults of this study reinforce the importance of perceptions of provider empathic communication as well as the potential benefits of eliciting and addressing patient uncertainty about treatment and prognosis throughout the cancer care continuum. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Patient uncertainty should be a priority for cancer-care providers both throughout and post-treatment for breast cancer patients.
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