Personality and treatment-related correlates of trustworthiness: A web-survey with chronic pain narratives.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined personality and treatment-related correlates of trustworthiness in chronic pain narratives. METHODS: 727 adults participated in an online survey and rated eight narratives written by patients with chronic pain. Eighty-six percent of the participants identified themselves as having experienced chronic pain (n = 626) and 14% identified themselves as people with a medical background (n = 101). The survey examined psychological characteristics, trustworthiness and expressions of pain severity, desire for medication, and frustration with pain care. RESULTS: Pain narratives that were rated as likable, stoic, or appreciative were significantly associated with higher trustworthiness; narratives that were rated as depressed, hostile, or histrionic were significantly associated with lower trustworthiness. Similar results were found for patient peers and clinicians. Patients that expressed a high level of pain severity were rated as significantly less trustworthy (P < .001). Pain narratives that expressed frustration with pain care were also rated as significantly less trustworthy (P = .009). For pain narratives that expressed frustration with pain care, patient peers gave higher ratings of trustworthiness compared to providers (P = .008), whereas both gave similar ratings when no frustration with pain care was expressed in the narrative. DISCUSSION: Our results show that the way in which patients communicate about their pain are significantly associated with how trustworthy they are perceived. Future research should explore how trustworthiness is related to subsequent pain management and interpersonal dynamics.