Validation from providers, family, friends key to better endometriosis quality of life

Key takeaways:

• Women with endometriosis had very low levels of validation from health care providers.
• Validation from health care providers and close family and/or friends predicted health-related quality of life.

Validating communication from health care professionals and close family and/or friends for women with endometriosis can increase health-related quality of life, according to survey results.

Validating, or supportive, communication is an important component for patients to feel understood and has been related to increased emotional well-being and physical functioning, researchers wrote in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology. Conversely, invalidating communication had been associated with increased patient-reported pain and suffering.

“Recent findings support similar links in other chronic illnesses, indicating that validation may build resilience and health-related quality of life,” Hanna Grundström, RN, RM, MSc, PhD, of the department of biomedical and clinical sciences at Linköping University, Sweden, and colleagues wrote. “Yet, experiences of invalidation have not been studied in women with endometriosis. In particular, research on perceived communication in social and professional contexts is missing.”

Grundström and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study by distributing a digital survey to 427 women (mean age, 34 years) with self-reported endometriosis in Sweden in fall 2022. The survey collected data on:

• validating and invalidating communication from close family and/or friends, health care providers and employes;
• depressive symptoms;
• anxiety; and
• health-related quality of life.

Survey results highlighted that women experienced varied levels of validating and invalidating communication from all three contexts. Women received the highest level of validation from close family and/or friends and received the lowest levels of validation from health care providers.

Both receiving higher levels of invalidating communication from health care providers and from close family and/or friends significantly predicted higher scores on the Endometriosis Health Profile Questionnaire, which indicated worse endometriosis health-related quality of life. In addition, higher levels of reported depression and anxiety symptoms predicted lower levels of endometriosis health-related quality of life.

Communication from employers did not contribute to invalidation, according to the researchers.

“The findings suggest a connection between the encounter of invalidation and health-related quality of life, independent of depressive symptoms and anxiety. Notably, within health care environments, there appears to be potential for enhancement,” the researchers wrote. “A potential subsequent stride could involve formulating strategies to educate health care professionals treating women with endometriosis on effective communication methods that promote validation.”