On the nature of cancer patients' social interactions

Abstract

Whereas there is general agreement that supportive relationships can be important for the psychological well-being of cancer patients, findings are mixed regarding the extent to which high quality social support is available to them. This manuscript describes two studies that investigated the possibility that subtle disruptions may occur in social interactions with cancer patients because of discomfort on the part of inter octants. In Study 1, participants conversed with a confederate, who was described to some of them as a cancer patient. Although no differences were observed on behavioral measures or on participant self-reports of reactions to the conversation, confederate and observer ratings of conversation positivity indicated that participants who believed they were speaking with a cancer patient were less positive in their interactions. As predicted, these participants appeared to have conflicted reactions toward the confederate. The second study attempted to determine the extent to which these findings applied to the experiences of cancer patients by interviewing 30 patients regarding the nature of their social interactions. Consistent with the results of Study 1, patients reported that derogation and overt physical withdrawal were rare, but that more subtle indicants of discomfort did negatively affect the tone of some interactions.