Observing physicians acting with different levels of empathy modulates later assessed pain tolerance
Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258368
- Objectives The patient–physician relationship is essential for treatment success. Previous studies demonstrated that physicians who behave empathic in their interaction with patients have a positive effect on health outcomes. In this study, we investigated if the mere perception of physicians as empathic/not empathic modulates pain despite an emotionally neutral interaction with the patients. Methods N = 60 women took part in an experimental study that simulated a clinical interaction. In the paradigm, each participant watched twoObjectives The patient–physician relationship is essential for treatment success. Previous studies demonstrated that physicians who behave empathic in their interaction with patients have a positive effect on health outcomes. In this study, we investigated if the mere perception of physicians as empathic/not empathic modulates pain despite an emotionally neutral interaction with the patients. Methods N = 60 women took part in an experimental study that simulated a clinical interaction. In the paradigm, each participant watched two immersive 360° videos via a head-mounted display from a patient’s perspective. The physicians in the videos behaved either empathic or not empathic towards a third person. Importantly, these physicians remained emotionally neutral in the subsequent virtual interaction with the participants. Finally, participants received a controlled, painful pressure stimulus within the narratives of the videos. Results The physicians in the high compared with the low empathy videos were rated as more empathic and more likable, indicating successful experimental manipulation. In spite of later neutral behaviour of physicians, this short observation of physicians’ behaviour towards a third person was sufficient to modulate pain tolerance of the participants. Conclusions The finding of this study that the mere observation of physicians’ behaviour towards a third person modulates pain, despite a neutral direct interaction with the participants, has important clinical implications. Further, the proposed paradigm enables investigating aspects of patient–physician communication that are difficult to examine in a clinical setting.…
Author: | Ivo KäthnerORCiD, Matthias Eidel, Anne-Sophie Häge, Annika Gram, Paul PauliORCiD |
---|---|
URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258368 |
Document Type: | Journal article |
Faculties: | Fakultät für Humanwissenschaften (Philos., Psycho., Erziehungs- u. Gesell.-Wissensch.) / Institut für Psychologie |
Language: | English |
Parent Title (English): | British Journal of Health Psychology |
Year of Completion: | 2022 |
Volume: | 27 |
Issue: | 2 |
Pagenumber: | 434-448 |
Source: | British Journal of Health Psychology (2022) 27:2, 434-448. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12553 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12553 |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 1 Philosophie und Psychologie / 15 Psychologie / 150 Psychologie |
Tag: | 360° videos; empathy; pain; patient–physician relationship; psychology |
Release Date: | 2022/09/20 |
Licence (German): | CC BY-NC-ND: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung, Nicht kommerziell, Keine Bearbeitungen 4.0 International |