Abstract
It has been well established that the doctor-patient relationship is integral for providing quality health care and sustaining patient satisfaction. Additionally, research has indicated that doctors' self-disclosure is considered as an essential interpersonal component of relational development. In terms of the doctor-patient interaction, previous research has produced numerous studies investigating the relationship between doctors' communication behaviors and patient satisfaction. Scholars have also explored how communication styles are associated with doctors' gender, and patient satisfaction. However, there is still a gap in the existing research concerning the connections between doctors' self-disclosure, gender, and patient satisfaction in doctor-patient interactions. My qualitative study sought to examine how doctors' self-disclosure impacts patient satisfaction and how doctors' gendered performances of self-disclosure were perceived by patients. I conducted an in-depth focus group interview with a total of eight volunteer participants (five females, three males). My findings indicated that doctors' self-disclosure positively impacts the patient satisfaction regardless of their gender. Additionally, participants indicated that self-disclosure from both male and female doctors was viewed as helpful when it was relevant and not excessive.
Advisor
Anne Kerber
Committee Member
Leah White
Committee Member
Laura Harrison
Date of Degree
2018
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
College
Arts and Humanities
Recommended Citation
Jannat, K. T. (2018). Self-Disclosure, Gender, and Patient Satisfaction in the Doctor-Patient Relationship [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/827/
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