MacKrill, K., Webster, R. orcid.org/0000-0002-5136-1098, Rubin, G.J. et al. (4 more authors) (2021) When symptoms become side effects : development of the Side Effect Attribution Scale (SEAS). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 141. 110340. ISSN 0022-3999
Abstract
Objectives
Symptom misattribution is a central process in the nocebo effect but it is not accurately assessed in current side effect measures. We have developed a new measure, the Side Effect Attribution Scale (SEAS), which examines the degree to which people believe their symptoms are treatment side effects.
Methods
The SEAS was tested in three New Zealand studies: a vaccination sample (n = 225), patients with gout or rheumatoid arthritis (n = 102), and patients switching to a generic medicine (n = 69). The internal reliability of the scale was examined using Cronbach's alpha. To assess validity, the Side Effect Attribution Total Score and Side Effect Attribution Binary Score were related to a number of psychological measures associated with side effect reporting.
Results
The scale showed good internal reliability across the three studies, with Cronbach alphas ranging from 0.840 to 0.943. Analysis of the effect sizes showed that the Attribution Total Score was generally more strongly associated with nocebo responding than Attribution Binary Score. Participants had greater Side Effect Attribution Total Scores if they had higher expectations for vaccination side effects (r = 0.18, p = .028), more worry about future vaccine effects (r = 0.16, p = .046), a higher perceived sensitivity to medicines (r = 0.50, p < .001), greater anxiety (r = 0.25, p = .016), greater intentional non-adherence (r = 0.30, p = .003), greater medicine information seeking (r = 0.26, p = .010), lower trust in pharmaceutical agencies (r = −0.29, p = .026), and lower medicine efficacy beliefs (r = −0.46, p < .001).
Conclusions
The SEAS provides a more nuanced assessment of symptom attribution beliefs. It appears to be more sensitive measure than just a side effect total, as it is associated with a greater number of relevant psychological variables. Future research should examine the scale in other populations and settings.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 Elsevier. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Psychosomatic Research. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Side effect attribution; Measurement; Nocebo effect |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > Department of Psychology (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 18 Dec 2020 07:38 |
Last Modified: | 01 Feb 2022 12:05 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110340 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:169184 |