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When Will Older Patients Follow Doctors’ Recommendations? Interpersonal Treatment, Outcome Favorability, and Perceived Age Differences 1
Author(s) -
Eggenberger Carroll Judith,
Smith Heather,
Hillier Susan
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00342.x
Subject(s) - interpersonal communication , compliance (psychology) , psychology , social psychology , interpersonal relationship , salient , interpersonal interaction , family medicine , clinical psychology , medicine , artificial intelligence , computer science
Study participants were 104 older patients ( M age = 76 years) who rated their last visit to a doctor. If they felt respectfully and honestly treated by the doctor, they were more willing to confide in a medical professional. If they received the information that they needed, they were more likely to follow the doctor's recommendations. However, if they perceived their doctor to be closer to them in age, respectful treatment was most closely related to compliance. If they perceived their doctor to be much younger than themselves, obtaining needed information was related most closely to compliance. The results illustrate the value of treating age as a salient social category that can shape older patients’ reactions to their medical visits.