The relationship between health literacy and medical decision conflict among parents of children newly diagnosed with central precocious puberty

Abstract

Purpose

Parents of children newly diagnosed with central precocious puberty often face emotional stress and time-sensitive treatment decisions, highlighting the importance of family-centered care. This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between parental health literacy and medical decision conflict.

Methods

A total of 65 parents of children newly diagnosed with central precocious puberty were recruited. Participants completed questionnaires measuring health literacy and medical decision conflict. Predictors were examined using multiple linear regression.

Results

More than half of the participants had limited health literacy. Parental health literacy significantly predicted medical decision conflict in the simple linear regression analysis (β = −0.45, T = −4.03, p < .001), indicating that higher overall health literacy was associated with lower decisional conflict. Specifically, a one-point increase in total health literacy score corresponded to a 0.68-point reduction in conflict. Furthermore, correlation analyses revealed that parental literacy in the communication and interaction domains was particularly associated with lower levels of decision conflict, suggesting that these domains may play a critical role in supporting effective parental decision-making.

Conclusions

Limited parental health literacy is common among families with children newly diagnosed with central precocious puberty. Notably, deficiencies in communication and interaction skills are associated with increased medical decision conflict.

Clinical implications

The results emphasise the need for healthcare professionals to actively assess and support parents' communicative and interpersonal health literacy skills. Equipping clinicians with tools for identifying literacy-related barriers and tailoring information accordingly can facilitate shared decision-making and promote confident, informed parental participation in care decisions.