Racial biases, facial trustworthiness, and resting heart rate variability: unravelling complexities in pain recognition.

Autor: Ceccarelli I; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, Pad. 21, Bologna, Italy., Bagnis A; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, Pad. 21, Bologna, Italy. arianna.bagnis@unibo.it., Ottaviani C; Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.; IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy., Thayer JF; Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. jfthayer@uci.edu., Mattarozzi K; Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, Pad. 21, Bologna, Italy.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Cognitive research: principles and implications [Cogn Res Princ Implic] 2024 Oct 08; Vol. 9 (1), pp. 69. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 08.
DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00588-0
Abstrakt: The study explores whether racial identity and appearance-based trustworthiness judgments can affect recognition of pain in medical students differing in levels of resting heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of parasympathetic control of the heart. After undergoing HRV assessment, 68 medical students (37 females) participated in a dynamic pain recognition task, viewing video clips of White and Black faces, which differed in perceived trustworthiness based on facial appearance, transitioning from neutral to intense pain expressions. Response time, pain intensity attribution and treatment recommendations were analyzed. Pain was recognized slower and estimated as less intense in Black compared to White faces, leading to a lower likelihood of recommending therapy. Pain recognition was faster for untrustworthy-looking White faces compared to trustworthy ones, while perceived trustworthiness had a minimal impact on the speed of pain recognition in Black faces. However, untrustworthy-looking faces were estimated to express more pain, particularly for Black faces. Notably, these biases were more pronounced in individuals with low, rather than high, resting HRV. Considering that therapeutic decisions mirrored pain intensity attribution, it would be important to increase awareness of these biases during medical training in order to promote equity in future pain assessment and treatment.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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