Abstract
This study investigates the effects of physician gender and communication styles on participant responses to physicians. Participants were 146 mostly low-income students (50% Caucasian, 50% African-American) who each viewed one of four videotapes of physicians varying in communication style (affiliative, controlling) and gender (male, female). The affiliative communication style evoked the greatest levels of participant satisfaction, trust, self-disclosure, and compliance. Physician gender did not significantly affect these variables. Participants' recall of medical information showed an interaction: When the physician was male, participants recalled more when he was controlling than when he was affiliative; when the physician was female, communication style did not affect participant recall. Results suggest that physician communication style is more important than gender in determining patient response.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Anderson, L. A. & Zimmerman, M. A. (1993). Patient and physician perceptions of their relationship and patient satisfaction: A study of chronic disease management. Patient Education and Counseling, 20, 27–36.
Arnold, R. M., Martin, S. C., & Parker, R. M. (1988). Taking care of patients—Does it matter whether the physician is a woman? Western Journal of Medicine, 149, 729–733.
Bensing, J. (1991). Doctor–patient communication and the quality of care. Social Science and Medicine, 32, 1301–1310.
Bensing, J., Van den Brink-Muinen, A., & de Bakker, D. (1993). Differences between male and female general practitioners in the care of psychosocial problems. Medical Care, 31, 219–229.
Ben-Sira, Z. (1976). The function of the professional's affective behavior in client satisfaction: A revised approach to social interaction theory. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 17, 3–11.
Ben-Sira, Z. (1980). Affective and instrumental components in the physician-patient relationship: An additional dimension of interaction theory. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 170–180.
Bernzweig, J., Takawama, J. I., Phibbs, C., Lewis, C., & Pantell, R. H. (1997). Gender differences in physician–patient communication. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 151, 586–591.
Bertakis, K. D., Helms, L. J., Callahan, E. J., Azari, R., & Robbins, J. A. (1995). The influence of gender on physician practice style. Medical Care, 33, 407–416.
Buller, M. K. & Buller, D. B. (1987). Physicians' communication style and patient satisfaction. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 28, 375–388.
Buller, D. B. & Street, R. L. (1992). Physician–patient relationships. In R. S. Feldman (Ed.), Applications of nonverbal behavioral theories and research (pp. 119–141). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Comstock, L. M., Hooper, E. M., Goodwin, J. M., & Goodwin, J. S. (1982). Physician behaviors that correlate with patient satisfaction. Medical Education, 57, 105–112.
Hall, J. A., Irish, J. T., Roter, D. L., Ehrlich, C. M., & Miller, L. H. (1994a). Gender in medical encounters: An analysis of physician and patient communication in a primary care setting. Health Psychology, 13, 384–392.
Hall, J. A., Irish, J. T., Roter, D. L., Ehrlich, C. M., & Miller, L. H. (1994b). Satisfaction, gender and communication in medical visits. Medical Care, 32, 1216–1231.
Hall, J. A., Roter, D. L., & Katz, N. R. (1987). Task versus socioemotional behaviors in physicians. Medical Care, 25, 399–412.
Klingle, R. S. & Burgoon, M. (1995). Patient compliance and satisfaction with physician influence attempts: A reinforcement expectancy approach to compliance-gaining over time. Communication Research, 22, 148–187.
Levinson, W., Roter, D. L., Mullooly, J. P., Dull, V. T., & Frankel, R. M. (1997). Physician–patient communication: The relationship with malpractice claims among primary care physicians and surgeons. Journal of the American Medical Association, 287, 553–559.
Linn, L. S., Cope, D. W., & Leake, B. (1984). The effect of gender and training of residents on satisfaction ratings by patients. Journal of Medical Education, 59, 964–966.
Lipkin, M. (1996). Physician–patient interaction in reproductive counseling. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 88, 31S–40S.
Meeuwesen, L., Schaap, C., & van der Staak, C. (1991). Verbal analysis of doctor-patient communication. Social Science and Medicine, 32, 1143–1150.
Ong, L. M. L., de Haes, J. C. J. M., Hoos, A. M., & Lammes, F. B. (1995). Doctor–patient communication: A review of the literature. Social Science and Medicine, 40, 903–918.
Platt, F. W. & McMath, J. C. (1979). Clinical hypocompetence: The interview. Annals of Internal Medicine, 91, 898–907.
Roberts, C. A. & Aruguete, M. S. (2000). Task and socioemotional behaviors of physicians: A test of reciprocity and social interaction theories in analogue physician–patient encounters. Social Science and Medicine, 50, 309–315.
Roter, D. L. & Hall, J. A. (1997). Gender differences in patient–physician communication. In S. J. Gallant, G. P. Keita, & R. Ryak-Schaler (Eds.), Health care for women: Psychological, social, and behavioral influences (pp. 51–71). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Roter, D. L. & Hall, J. A. (1998). Why physician gender matters in shaping the physician–patient relationship. Journal of Women's Health, 7, 1093–1097.
Roter, D. L., Lipkin, M. Jr., & Korsgaard, A. (1991). Gender differences in patients' and physicians' communication during primary care medical visits. Medical Care, 29, 1083–1093.
Roter, D. L., Stewart, M., Putnam, S.M., Lipkin, M., Stiles, W., & Inui, T. S. (1997). Communication patterns of primary care physicians. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 350–356.
Stewart, M. A. & Roter, D. L. (1989). Introduction. In M. A. Stewart and D. L. Roter (Eds.), Communicating with Medical Patients. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
Street, R. L. & Buller, D. B. (1987). Nonverbal response patterns in physician–patient interactions: A functional analysis. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 11, 234–253.
Thom, D. H., Ribisl, K. M., Stewart, A. L., Luke, D. A., & The Stanford Trust Study Physicians (1999). Further validation and reliability testing of the trust in physician scale. Medical Care, 37, 510–517.
Waller, K. (1988). Women doctors for women patients? British Journal of Medical Psychology, 61, 125–135.
West, C. (1984). When the doctor is a “lady”: Power, status, and gender in physician–patient encounters. Symbolic Interaction, 7, 87–106.
West, C. (1993). Reconceptualizing gender in physician–patient relationships. Social Science and Medicine, 36, 57–66.
Wolf, M. H., Putnam, S. M., James, S. A., & Stiles, W. B. (1978). The medical interview satisfaction scale: Development of a scale to measure patient perceptions of physician behavior. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 1, 391–401.
Willson, P. & McNamara, J. R. (1982). How perceptions of a simulated physician–patient interaction influence intended satisfaction and compliance. Social Science Medicine, 16, 1699–1704.
Young, J. W. (1980). The effects of perceived physician competence on patients' symptom disclosure to male and female physicians. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 3, 279–290.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Aruguete, M.S., Roberts, C.A. Gender, Affiliation, and Control in Physician–Patient Encounters. Sex Roles 42, 107–118 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007036412480
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007036412480