Openness and topic avoidance in interpersonal communication about ovarian cancer: An uncertainty management perspective
https://doi.org/10.4081/qrmh.2021.9376
Accepted: 22 November 2021
Appendix: 0
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
This study examined openness and topic avoidance in interpersonal communication about ovarian cancer. Guided by the uncertainty management theory, the researchers analyzed qualitative data from 28 ovarian cancer patients/survivors and found openness and topic avoidance to be complex communication behaviors which are connected to patients/survivors’ uncertainty. Participants appraised uncertainty about disease prognosis and effectiveness of treatments as a threat; thus, they avoided topics such as treatment side effects and fears about death and disease recurrence to manage such uncertainty. Furthermore, findings showed that communication about ovarian cancer is layered with degrees of openness and avoidance relative to respective audiences and changing illness trajectories. Overall, the findings indicate connections between interpersonal communication about ovarian cancer and uncertainty management practices, suggesting that intervention efforts should help cancer patients/survivors and relational others practice sensitivity when discussing topics such as death and dying.
Howell D, Fitch MI, Deane KA. Impact of ovarian cancer perceived by women. Cancer Nurs 2003;26:1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00002820-200302000-00001
Markman M, Malviya V. An example of ovarian cancer as a ‘Chronic Disease Process’ – 11-year survival with multiple treatments for recurrent and progressive disease. Case Rep Oncol 2008;1:1-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1159/000164683
Ozga M, Aghajanian C, Myers-Virtue S, et al. A systematic review of ovarian cancer and fear of recurrence. Pall Supp Care 2015;13:1771-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1478951515000127
Reb AM. Transforming the death sentence: Elements of hope in women with advanced ovarian cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum 2007;34:E70-E81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1188/07.ONF.E70-E81
Holmes MS. Pink ribbons and public private parts: On not imagining ovarian cancer. Lit Med 2006;25:475-501. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/lm.2007.0005
Tetteh DA. Visibility of the ovaries and breasts: An analysis of Angelina Jolie’s medical announcements. Fem Med Stud 2019;19:651-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1447979
Kyriacou J, Black A, Drummond N, et al. Fear of cancer recurrence: A study of the experience of survivors of ovarian cancer. CONJ 2017;27:236-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5737/23688076273236242
Manne S, Myers S, Ozga M, et al. Holding back sharing concerns, dispositional emotional expressivity, perceived unsupportive responses and distress among women newly diagnosed with gynecological cancers. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2014;36:81-7.
Cesario SK, Nelson LS, Broxson A, Cesario AL. Sword of Damocles cutting through the life stages of women with ovarian cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum 2010;37:609-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1188/10.ONF.609-617
Lobchuk MM, Bokhari SA. Linkages among empathic behaviors, physical symptoms, and psychological distress in patients with ovarian cancer: A Pilot study. Oncol Nurs Forum 2008;35:808-14.
Brashers DE, Neidig JL, Haas SM, et al. Communication in the management of uncertainty: The case of persons living with HIV or AIDS. Commun Monogr 2000;67:63-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03637750009376495
Vevea NN, Miller AN. Patient narratives: Exploring the fit of uncertainty-management models of health care. Rev Commun 2010;10:276-89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15358593.2010.501907
Miller LE. Uncertainty management and information seeking in cancer survivorship. Health Communication 2014;29:233-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2012.739949
Dean M, Davidson LG. Previvors’ uncertainty management strategies for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Health Commun 2018;33:122-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2016.1250187
Brashers DE. Communication and uncertainty management. J Commun 2001;51:477-97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2001.tb02892.x
Barbour JB, Rintamaki LS, Ramsey JA, Brashers DE. Avoiding health information. J Health Commun 2012;17:212-29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2011.585691
Babrow AS, Hines SC, Kasch CR. Managing uncertainty in illness explanation: An application of problematic integration theory. In Whaley BB (ed). Explaining illness: Research, theory, and strategies. Routledge, 2000:41-67.
Parry C. Embracing uncertainty: An exploration of the experiences of childhood cancer survivors. Qual Health Res 2003;13:227-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732302239600
Brashers DE. A theory of communication and uncertainty management. In Whaley BB, Samter W (eds). Explaining communication: Contemporary theories and exemplars. Routledge, 2007:201-18.
Carcioppolo N, Yang F, Yang Q. Reducing, maintaining, or escalating uncertainty? The development and validation of four uncertainty preference scales related to cancer information seeking and avoidance. J Health Commun 2016;21:979-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2016.1184357
Peng W, Carcioppolo N, Occa A, et al. Feel worried, overloaded, or fatalistic? The determinants of cancer uncertainty management preferences. Health Communication 2021;23:347-60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1692489
Kuang K, Wilson SR. A meta-analysis of uncertainty and information management in illness contexts. J Commun 2017;67:378-401. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12299
Lobchuk MM, Bokhari SA. Linkages among empathic behaviors, physical symptoms, and psychological distress in patients with ovarian cancer: A Pilot study. Oncol Nurs Forum 2008;35:808-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1188/08.ONF.808-814
Manne S, Myers S, Ozga M, et al. Holding back sharing concerns, dispositional emotional expressivity, perceived unsupportive responses and distress among women newly diagnosed with gynecological cancers. Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2014;36:81-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2013.10.001
Donovan-Kicken E, Caughlin JP. A multiple goals perspective on topic avoidance and relationship satisfaction in the context of breast cancer. Commun Monogr 2010;77:231-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751003758219
Goldsmith DJ, Miller LE, Caughlin JP. Openness and avoidance in couples communicating about cancer. Commun Yearb 2007;31:62-115. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2007.11679065
Venetis MK, Magsamen-Conrad K, Checton MG, Greene K. Cancer communication and partner burden: An exploratory study. J Commun 2014;64:82-102. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12069
Goldsmith DJ, Domann-Scholz K. The meanings of “Open Communication” among couples coping with a cardiac event. J Commun 2013;63:266-86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12021
Goldsmith DJ, Miller GA. Conceptualizing how couples talk about cancer. Health Commun 2014;29:51-63. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2012.717215
Stone AM, Mikucki-Enyart S, Middleton A, et al. Caring for a parent with lung cancer. Qual Health Res 2012;22:957-70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732312443428
Bachner YG, Carmel S. Open communication between caregivers and terminally ill cancer patients: the role of caregivers’ characteristics and situational variables. Health Commun 2009;24:524-31 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10410230903104913
Shin DW, Shin J, Kim SY, et al. Family avoidance of communication about cancer: A dyadic examination. Cancer Res Treat 2016;48:384-92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2014.280
Yu Y, Sherman KA. Communication avoidance, coping and psychological distress of women with breast cancer. J Behav Med 2015;38:565-77. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-015-9636-3
Venetis MK, Greene K, Checton MG, Magsamen-Conrad K. Decision making in cancer-related topic avoidance. J Health Commun 2015;20:306-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2014.965364
Caughlin JP, Mikucki-Enyart SL, Middleton AV, et al. Being open without talking about it: A rhetorical/normative approach to understanding topic avoidance in families after a lung cancer diagnosis. Commun Monogr 2011;78:409-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2011.618141
Morse JM. “Data were saturated...”. Qual Health Res 2015;25:587-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732315576699
Morse JM. The significance of saturation. Qual Health Res 1995;5:147-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/104973239500500201
Braun V, Clarke V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol 2006;3:77-101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Hsieh H, Shannon SE. Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qual Health Res 2005;15:1277-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687
Morse JM, Barrett M, Mayan M, et al. Verification strategies for establishing reliability and validity in qualitative research. Int J Qual Methods 2002;1:13-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690200100202
Carlson JA. Avoiding traps in member checking. Qual Rep 2010;15:1102-13.
Tracy SJ. Qualitative Quality: Eight “Big-Tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qual Inq 2010;16:837-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410383121
Dorgan KA, Hutson SP, Duvall KL, et al. Connecting place to disease and gender: Cohabitating morbidities in narratives of women cancer survivors in Southern central appalachia. Women’s Stud Commun 2014;37:292-312. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2014.950440
Asbury N, Lalayiannis L, Walshe A. How do I tell the children? Women’s experiences of sharing information about breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Eur J Oncol Nurs 2014;18:564-70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2014.07.003
Van Humbeeck L, Dillen L, Piers R, et al. Cancer patients’ experiences of communicating and dealing with their older parents: A qualitative study. Eur J Oncol Nurs 2019;38:98-103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejon.2018.12.005
Charmaz K. Translating graduate qualitative methods into undergraduate teaching: Intensive interviewing as a case example. Teach Sociol 1991;19:384. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1318205
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.
Downloads
Citations
