Quando e perché l’univocità del parere medico può aiutare la percezione dello stato di salute e del tono emotivo nel paziente oncologico

In many occasions, we are usually inclined to think that a deci- sion based on multiple (sources of) information may - or even must
- be “better” than a decision based on a single piece of information, or source. However, in certain psychological conditions - such as tho- se of oncological patients - decisions made on the basis of a single, clear-cut medical opinion, rather than on a multiplicity of even con- trasting medical views, should be maximally useful in satisfying pa- tients’“need for univocal views” and, in turn, also in fostering their sense of a positive emotional and physical condition. The present re- search, conduced with 40 oncological patients, was thus interested in establishing 1) in which proportion patients acquired “one-single” vs. “multiple” medical opinions while choosing among different treatment alternatives, and 2) the quality of patients’perception of their emotional and physical state. As hypothesized and then discussed on the basis of the Theory of Multiple Perspectives (TMP), results sup- ported the hypotheses, revealing a comparatively better perception of their emotional and physical state among patients who asked for just “one single” (univocal) medical opinion - thereby satisfying their “need for univocal views” - but not among patients asking for more than one single medical opinion, that is among patients using a strategy ostensibly at odds with the possibility of satisfying their psy- chological need for univocal, unambiguous views.