title: Patient and physician reports of the information provided about illness and treatment: what matters for patients' adaptation to cancer during treatment?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine (a) whether illness representations mediate the relation of the amount of information provided by physicians to patients' adaptation to illness; (b) whether patient-physician agreement on the information provided impacts the aforementioned relationship. The study focused on information that, according to the Common Sense Self-Regulation Model, is essential for adaptation to illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 93 patients undergoing chemotherapy and their physicians. Indirect (mediation) effects and conditional (moderated) indirect effects were examined using bootstrapping.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The more illness and treatment-related information was provided by physicians, the more positive illness representations (specifically, illness consequences, emotional representations, and personal control) were reported by patients. In turn, these illness representations were related to better physical functioning and better adjustment to cancer. The degree of the patient-physician agreement on the information provided did not affect this relationship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  What seems to be more crucial for patients' adaptation to cancer during treatment is the amount of information provided by physicians rather than their agreement with patients on the information provided. Also, there is a need to thoroughly examine the pathways through which information provision impacts adaptation to illness.
authors: Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Attica, Greece.
authors: Antonia A
authors: AA
authors: Paschali
authors: Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Attica, Greece.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Hadjulis
authors: Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Nursing, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Attica, Greece.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Papadimitriou
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Crete, Rethymnon, Greece.
authors: Evangelos C
authors: EC
authors: Karademas
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010820:Physicians
keywords: cancer; illness representations; information provision; oncology; patient-physician communication