The Effect of Women's Perceptions of Their Nurses' Communication on Their Distress and Fear of Cancer During Colposcopy

Abstract

BackgroundEffective communication between nurses and women can help determine women's stress and fear levels during colposcopy and enable appropriate interventions to be taken.ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine the effect of women's perceptions of nurse communication on their levels of distress and cancer worry during colposcopy.MethodsThis descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 227 women who underwent colposcopy at three hospitals between December 2023 and May 2024. Data collection instruments included the Descriptive Information Form, the Health Care Communication Questionnaire (HCCQ), the Cervical Dysplasia Distress Questionnaire (CDDQ), and the Cancer Worry Scale (CWS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analyses.ResultsThe average age of participants was 36.28 +/- 7.75 years, with 92.5% being married and 41% being high school graduates. A strong negative correlation was found between HCCQ and CDDQ (r = -0.714, P = .000) and CWS (r = -0.718, P = .000). A strong positive relationship was also identified between CDDQ and CWS scores (r = 0.759, P = .000). Descriptive characteristics and the HCCQ significantly explained 73.4% of the variance in the CDDQ (R2 = 0.734, P = .000). Additionally, descriptive characteristics, the HCCQ, and the CDDQ significantly explained 82% of the variance in the CWS (R2 = 0.820, P = .000).ConclusionThe study demonstrated that women's descriptive characteristics and their perceptions of nurse communication are significant predictors of cervical dysplasia distress and cancer fear during colposcopy.Implications for PracticeBy gaining effective communication skills and equipping themselves with psychoeducation, nurses can take initiatives to reduce women's stress and cancer fear levels during colposcopy.