Do doctors' attachment styles and emotional intelligence influence patients' emotional expressions in primary care consultations? An exploratory study using multilevel analysis

Cherry, M Gemma, Fletcher, Ian, Berridge, Damon and O'Sullivan, Helen (2018) Do doctors' attachment styles and emotional intelligence influence patients' emotional expressions in primary care consultations? An exploratory study using multilevel analysis. Patient Education and Counseling, 101 (4). pp. 659-664.

Text Revised cues study 280917.docx - Author Accepted Manuscript Download (71kB)

Abstract

Objective To investigate whether and how doctors’ attachment styles and emotional intelligence (EI) might influence patients’ emotional expressions in general practice consultations. Methods Video recordings of 26 junior doctors consulting with 173 patients were coded using the Verona Coding Definition of Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES). Doctors’ attachment style was scored across two dimensions, avoidance and anxiety, using the Experiences in Close Relationships: Short Form questionnaire. EI was assessed with the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test. Multilevel Poisson regressions modelled the probability of patients’ expressing emotional distress, considering doctors’ attachment styles and EI and demographic and contextual factors. Results Both attachment styles and EI were significantly associated with frequency of patients’ cues, with patient- and doctor-level explanatory variables accounting for 42% of the variance in patients’ cues. The relative contribution of attachment styles and EI varied depending on whether patients’ presenting complaints were physical or psychosocial in nature. Conclusion Doctors’ attachment styles and levels of EI are associated with patients’ emotional expressions in primary care consultations. Further research is needed to investigate how these two variables interact and influence provider responses and patient outcomes.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Humans, Communication, Emotions, Personality Development, Physician-Patient Relations, Object Attachment, Internship and Residency, Video Recording, Adult, Middle Aged, Physicians, Referral and Consultation, Primary Health Care, Female, Male, Emotional Intelligence, General Practice, Surveys and Questionnaires
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	15 Nov 2017 15:58
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2023 06:50
DOI:	10.1016/j.pec.2017.10.017
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3012237