Decisional Conflict in Individuals Recently Diagnosed With Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic systemic condition that affects an estimated 14% of biological women of reproductive age in Australia (AIHW). Symptoms include severe and chronic pelvic pain, and lifelong management is required because endometriosis has no cure. Treatments include medications, surgeries, psychotherapies, and allied health and complementary therapies, however the efficacy of any treatment varies between individuals, and there is no gold standard option, leaving people living with endometriosis (PLWE) with complex decisions to make. Research shows that PLWE report difficulties in assessing and choosing treatments for their condition, and that a comprehensive Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) intervention could support and facilitate complex decision-making (SDM) in endometriosis symptom management. However, decisional conflict has not been explicitly examined in PLWE. This study aims to investigate levels of decisional conflict in recently diagnosed PLWE, and to examine whether there is an association between decisional conflict and psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression or stress) in this group. This study will also examine factors which may moderate any relationship between decisional conflict and psychological distress, including levels of healthcare decision-making self-efficacy, and financial stress. The results will help to inform EndoChoice, a PtDA in development that will aim to support decision-making in endometriosis.