中国科学院心理研究所机构知识库

WeChat groups have been created by many hospitals to improve doctor-patient communication. This is a new method for patients and doctors to communicate. In this study, we send questionnaires to 512 patients in doctor-patient WeChat groups, investigate the relationship between the quality of doctor-patient communication and the patients' self-disclosure, and then examine the chain-mediating roles of patients' trust in doctors and psychological safety. The findings indicate that: (1) The quality of doctor-patient communication positively predicts the patients' self-disclosure. (2) Patients' trust in doctors plays a mediating role between the quality of doctor-patient communication and patients' self-disclosure. (3) Psychological safety plays a mediating role between the quality of doctor-patient communication and patients' self-disclosure. (4) Patients' trust in doctors and psychological safety play chain-mediating roles between the quality of doctor-patient communication and patients' self-disclosure. This study applies the social penetration theory to the doctor-patient relationship, reveals the impact of the quality of doctor-patient communication on patients' self-disclosure and its psychological mechanism, and enriches the research outcomes related to doctor-patient communication.