Does the Number of Cancer Patients' Close Social Ties Affect Cancer-Related Information Seeking Through Communication Efficacy? Testing a Mediation Model

Abstract

This study addresses the question of whether having a broad social network of close friends equips cancer patients with increased efficacy to engage in communication about their cancer, which then leads to an increased likelihood of patients’ actively seeking cancer-related information. Guided by the theory of motivated information management (TMIM: Afifi & Weiner, 2006), the study also tests whether the effect of the number of close social ties on information seeking is mediated, in part, by communication efficacy. Results are based on data collected from a randomly drawn sample from the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry of 2,013 cancer patients who completed mail surveys in the Fall of 2006. Results are consistent with a cross-sectional mediation effect in which the number of close social ties in one’s social network is positively associated with communication efficacy (b = .17, p = .001), which, in turn, is positively associated with cancer-related information seeking (b = .13, p < .001).

Communicating resilience: predictors and outcomes of dyadic communication resilience processes among both cancer patients and cancer partners

“…Within cancer communication, and particularly among partners, decreased communication efficacy is associated with increased topic avoidance of death, sexuality, and being a burden (Venetis et al, 2015). Alternatively, increased communication efficacy is associated with increased communication such as information seeking and cancerrelated conversations (Lewis & Martinez, 2014;Rauscher, 2017). Thus, we propose:…”

Empowering or misleading? Online health information provision challenges

“…Social capital is 'actual or potential resources that result from social connections and senses of reciprocity and trust, which, when mobilised, can bring about outcomes at the individual and collective level' (Beaudoin & Tao, 2007, p. 587). Interest in the concept within the health sector is relatively recent, but research has indicated that social capital can influence health outcomes as social networks enable information and resource sharing and support (Lewis & Martinez, 2014). Close ties positively are associated with communication efficacy which then is associated with information seeking, however the relative impact of information from interpersonal versus mediated sources requires further investigation (Chen, Lee, Straubhaar, & Spence, 2014;Lewis & Martinez, 2014).…”

“…Interest in the concept within the health sector is relatively recent, but research has indicated that social capital can influence health outcomes as social networks enable information and resource sharing and support (Lewis & Martinez, 2014). Close ties positively are associated with communication efficacy which then is associated with information seeking, however the relative impact of information from interpersonal versus mediated sources requires further investigation (Chen, Lee, Straubhaar, & Spence, 2014;Lewis & Martinez, 2014). While social capital is widely discussed, its precise meaning, dimensions and mechanisms are unclear.…”

“…Bridging social capital focuses on the connections between socially heterogeneous groups and linking social capital on the connections between people at different levels of power and influence although the latter is sometimes subsumed into bridging capital (Murayama et al, 2012). While bridging ties may be weaker, they enable useful transfers of information (Lewis and Martinez, 2014). Effective social capital enables a wider range of information sources and faster information flow and is linked to digital literacy and inequalities as social and digital connectivity are inter related (Chen et al, 2015).…”

Health IT in our daily life: impact of mobile phone use on the emotions and compliance of diabetes patients

“…Most preferred information sources are doctors, family members, nurses and friends (Pecchioni and Sparks, 2007) and such strong interpersonal networks are more likely to generate a stronger health orientation (Dutta-Bergman, 2005). Patients are usually more influenced by those with strong ties (Mair and Rikard, 2010;Lewis and Martinez, 2014). We conjecture that: H4.…”