Affiliation:
1. School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Australia
2. Department of Psychology, University of Toledo
3. Department of Psychology, Adrian College
4. School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Australia
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Side effect warnings can contribute directly to their occurrence via the nocebo effect. This creates a challenge for clinicians and researchers, because warnings are necessary for informed consent, but can cause harm. Positive framing has been proposed as a method for reducing nocebo side effects whilst maintaining the principles of informed consent, but the limited available empirical data are mixed.
Purpose
To test whether positive attribute framing reduces nocebo side effects relative to negative framing, general warning, and no warning.
Methods
Ninety-nine healthy volunteers were recruited under the guise of a study on virtual reality (VR) and spatial awareness. Participants were randomized to receive positively framed (“7 out of 10 people will not experience nausea”), negatively framed (“3 out of 10 people will experience nausea”), general (“a proportion of people will experience nausea”), or no side effect warnings prior to VR exposure.
Results
Receiving a side effect warning increased VR cybersickness relative to no warning overall, confirming that warnings can induce nocebo side effects. Importantly, however, positive framing reduced cybersickness relative to both negative framing and the general warning, with no difference between the latter two. Further, there was no difference in side effects between positive framing and no warning.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that positive framing not only reduces nocebo side effects relative to negative framing and general warnings, but actually prevents nocebo side effects from occurring at all. As such, positive attribute framing may be a cheap and ethical way to reduce nocebo side effects.
Funder
Australian Research Council
National Institutes of Health
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Psychiatry and Mental health,General Psychology
Cited by
13 articles.
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