Does psychological characteristic influence physicians' communication styles? Impact of physicians' locus of control on interviews with a cancer patient and a relative.
BACKGROUND
Physicians' psychological characteristics may influence their communication styles and may thus interfere with patient-centred communication.


OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to test the hypothesis that, in interviews with a cancer patient and a relative, physicians with an "external" locus of control (LOC; who believe that life outcomes are controlled by external forces such as luck, fate or others) have a communication style different from that of physicians with an "internal" LOC (who believe that life outcomes are controlled by their own characteristics or actions).


METHODS
Eighty-one voluntary physicians practising in the field of oncology were recorded while performing an actual and a simulated interview with a cancer patient and a relative.


METHODS
Physicians' communication skills were assessed using the Cancer Research Campaign Workshop Evaluation Manual. Physicians' LOC was assessed using the Rotter I-E scale. The communication skills of the upper and lower quartiles of physicians in respect of their scores on this scale were compared using Student's t test.


RESULTS
In actual interviews, physicians with an "external" LOC talked more to the relative (P=0.017) and used more utterances with an assessment function (P=0.010) than physicians with an "internal" LOC. In simulated interviews, physicians with an "external" LOC used less utterances that give premature information (P=0.031) and used more utterances with a supportive function, such as empathy and reassurance (P=0.029), than physicians with an "internal" LOC.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide evidence that physicians' LOC can influence their communication styles. Physicians' awareness of this influence constitutes a step towards a tailoring of their communication skills to every patient's and relative's concerns and needs and thus towards a patient-centred communication.
Libert
Yves
Y
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Av. F. Roosevelt, 50, CP 191, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
Merckaert
Isabelle
I
Reynaert
Christine
C
Delvaux
Nicole
N
Marchal
Serge
S
Etienne
Anne-Marie
AM
Boniver
Jacques
J
Klastersky
Jean
J
Scalliet
Pierre
P
Slachmuylder
Jean-Louis
JL
Razavi
Darius
D
D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D003142:Communication; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*