Attachment styles and clinical communication performance in trainee doctors

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between trainee doctors' attachment style and their performance in qualifying clinical and communication skills assessments.

Methods: Participants were 190 undergraduate medical students whose performance was assessed by examiners across two areas (communication and clinical skills) during their qualifying Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Simulated patients also rated communication skills. Participants' attachment style was rated across two dimensions, avoidance and anxiety, using the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ).

Results: Lower levels of attachment avoidance and anxiety significantly predicted higher performance in both communication and clinical skills.

Conclusion: Trainee doctors' attachment styles are associated with patient communication and clinical performance. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of attachment on consultations between doctors and patients within clinical settings.

Practice implication: Attachment theory can inform our understanding why, for some student doctors, interacting with patients may be particularly challenging and require additional support by medical educators.

Keywords: Attachment; Clinical skills; Doctor-patient communication; OSCE.