kevin.wombacher@uky.edu
This study investigates factors that influence the conversations that child and adolescent psychiatrists have with their patients about substance use. The goal of the study is to gain a better understanding of salient psychological and communication constructs in this context using social cognitive theory as a guide. The study consisted of a national online survey of child and adolescent psychiatrists (n = 170) focused on understanding factors that affect self-efficacy and communication competence related to discussing substance use with adolescent patients. Results show that communication apprehension has a strong negative association with perceptions of self-efficacy. Results also show that past positive experiences have a stronger association with self-efficacy than past negative experiences. Results related to communication competence were mixed, with self-efficacy not being significantly related to communication competence; which could indicate potential issues with measurement. Communication competence was found to be related to overall perceptions of training, as well as past positive experiences discussing substance use. These results have implications related to the design and implementation of training interventions for child and adolescent psychiatrists to improve their level of comfort in discussing substance use with their patients.
Bio
Kevin Wombacher is alumni PhD Student and Teaching Assistant at the University of Kentucky. Kevin's research focuses on health communication, specifically adolescent substance abuse prevention. He has been working with Dr. Catherine Martin from UK's Department of Psychiatry to conduct interviews with child psychiatrists and develop a national survey to explore their attitudes and concerns about discussing substance abuse prevention with their patients. Kevin's ultimate goal is to develop a theory-based intervention that encourages and prepares psychiatrists to competently discuss substance abuse prevention with their adolescent patients. Kevin also studies how social media is used to discuss risky health behavior.
Primary Communication Interest(s):
Publications
Wright, K. B., Abendschein, B., Wombacher, K., O’Connor, M., Hoffman, M., Dempsey, M., ... & Shelton, A. (2014). Work-related communication technology use outside of regular work hours and work life conflict: The influence of communication technologies on perceived work life conflict, burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Management Communication Quarterly, 28(4), 507-530.
Lee, H., Wright, K. B., O’Connor, M., & Wombacher, K. (2014). Framing medical tourism: an analysis of persuasive appeals, risks and benefits, and new media features of medical tourism broker websites. Health Communication, 29(7), 637-645.