British Journal of Health Psychology最新文献

Objectives: This research examined whether different framings of the likelihood of side effects influence their occurrence in response to a placebo analgesic.

Design: Three independent experimental studies in non-clinical samples were performed.

Methods: Study 1 investigated the effects of likelihood framing on side effect expectations, while Studies 2 and 3 investigated the effects of likelihood framing on side effect experiences in terms of nocebo side effects.

Results: Study 1 (N = 244) showed that participants had higher side expectations when the side effect likelihood was negatively framed (e.g. 1% occurrence) than positively framed (e.g. 99% no occurrence). Side effect expectations were also more negative when frequencies (e.g. 1 in 100) rather than percentages were used. Study 2 tested the effects of positive vs. negative framing and percentages vs. frequencies on the occurrence of itch as a side effect of a placebo analgesic cream, which was applied in an experimental heat pain paradigm in a non-clinical sample (N = 179). Only 11% reported itch, with no significant differences between conditions. Study 3 (N = 110) increased the stated likelihood of itch, yet only 17% reported experiencing it. Crucially, reports of itch did not differ between experimental groups and a control group where itch was not mentioned as a possible side effect.

Conclusion: This research failed to induce itch as a nocebo response. While examining likelihood framing in nocebo side effects is valuable, establishing an appropriate experimental model remains challenging. Future research directions and methodological considerations to move forward are discussed.

Objectives: Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is popular for assessing dietary intake in real life and real time. Available tools differ substantially in the type and number of implemented features, including features to assess what and how much was consumed. These features require qualitatively different input that might have a differential impact on the participants' cognitions and behaviours while taking part in the study. This study aimed to test whether more complex dietary assessment tools, indicated by the type and number of assessment features, induce more active information processing (AIP).

Design: Preregistered online between-subjects experimental study.

Methods: A total of 373 participants (65.4% female; mean age 30.4 years) were randomly allocated to view one of eight EMA protocol mock-ups, each describing a food tracking process verbally and using screenshots. Afterwards, they rated the protocol in terms of its complexity (manipulation check), AIP and its potential impact on eating-related cognitions, intentions and eating behaviour change.

Results: The eight EMA protocols differed in perceived complexity, that is protocols with more tracking features were perceived as more complex compared to those with fewer tracking features. EMA protocols that were perceived to be more complex were also perceived to induce more AIP. However, there were no differences in perceived impact on eating-related cognitions, intentions and behaviour.

Conclusions: Differences in complexity and usability may influence compliance and study results. Researchers thus need to carefully select the appropriate EMA protocol for their study to balance the need for collected information with the need for high compliance.

Objectives: We aimed to replicate the idea that physicians' self-presentation characteristics (i.e. formal vs. informal attire) and gender (i.e. men vs. women) influence perceptions of their warmth and competence. Further, we aimed to extend this line of work by examining how these relationships are moderated by trust in physicians.

Design: We conducted a 2 (physician gender: men vs. women) × 2 (self-presentation: formal vs. informal attire) experiment using publicly available physician images.

Methods: Students (N = 734) were randomly assigned to rate five physician images from a pool of 20 stimuli across physician gender and attire conditions. Participants rated physicians on warmth and competence, and then completed a trust in physicians scale. Linear mixed models evaluated main effects and interaction effects for self-presentation, gender and physician trust.

Results: Physicians in formal attire (white lab coats) were perceived as warmer and more competent than those in informal attire (casual or informal wear). Women physicians were rated as warmer, but not more competent than men physicians. Two-way interaction effects revealed formal attire enhanced perceptions of men physicians more than women on average. Three-way interaction effects indicated trust in physicians moderated these results, with women physicians' ratings being more dependent on participants' general trust levels, particularly for those with lower trust in the medical profession.

Conclusions: We replicated and extended this literature by demonstrating how physician gender and patient trust levels moderate self-presentation effects. For physicians, understanding a patient's relationship with the medical establishment may help to inform their self-presentation choices.

Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques-preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives-IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)-in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress.

Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected.

Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition.

Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one.

Objectives: Self-management is central in chronic pain care, and mobile health (mHealth) applications (apps) offer scalable tools to support symptom monitoring and management. Although promising, these apps vary in quality, adaptability, and integration of evidence-based behaviour change techniques (BCTs). Many remain unregulated and under-evaluated, leaving their benefits for pain management unclear. We systematically evaluated the quality of commercially available pain management apps in the United Kingdom and examined the prevalence of pain-related BCTs and adaptive features.

Design and methods: Freely available English-language apps from the 'Health and Fitness' or 'Medical' categories in the Apple® and Google Play® stores were screened and assessed for quality using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS; 1 = inadequate, 5 = excellent) and coded for BCTs and adaptive features.

Results: Twenty-three apps were included, with a mean MARS score of 3.03 (range = 1.8-4.6). Five scored >4.0, while 39% scored 3.0-3.9, indicating moderate quality. Apps included a mean of 3.3 BCTs, most commonly self-monitoring (87%), instruction (61%), and behaviour-health links (52%). Social support (13%) and goal setting (17%) were rare. An average of 2.3 adaptive mechanisms were identified, with proximal outcomes in all apps and intervention options in 70%, but decision points and tailoring variables were infrequent.

Conclusion: Commercially available pain apps in the United Kingdom are generally of moderate quality, with limited integration of social, goal-setting, and adaptive features. Greater personalization is needed to strengthen engagement and clinical impact in digital pain self-management.