Patient-provider communication quality as a predictor of medical mistrust among young Black women

Among Black or African American communities, medical mistrust has been associated with preventative service delays, low medication adherence, and healthcare underutilization. Although recent studies have investigated antecedents of medical mistrust among various racial and ethnic minority populations, the experiences of young Black women are scarcely included, particularly for those aged 18 to 24. This study explores the association between patient-provider communication quality and medical mistrust in a sample of 174 young Black women, aged 18–24. Patient-provider communication quality was a significant predictor of medical mistrust; as communication quality increased, medical mistrust decreased (p < .001). Findings from our study suggest that for providers seeking to address medical mistrust in patients identifying as young Black women, focusing on patient-centered communication may be impactful. For more information regarding this study or research in the works, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Jaih Craddock at jcraddoc@hs.uci.edu.

To cite this article: Vashti Adams & Jaih Craddock (2023): Patient-provider communication quality as a predictor of medical mistrust among young Black women, Social Work in Public Health, DOI: 10.1080/19371918.2023.2177225