Leonie N. C. Visser|Marieke S. Tollenaar|Jos A. Bosch|Lorenz J.P. van Doornen|Hanneke C. J. M. de Haes|Ellen M. A. Smets
Are psychophysiological arousal and self-reported emotional stress during an oncological consultation related to memory of medical information? An experimental study
University of Amsterdam|Leiden University|University of Amsterdam|Utrecht University|University of Amsterdam|University of Amsterdam
patients forget 2080 information provided medical consultations emotional stress often experienced patients consultations could one mechanisms lead limited recall current experimental study therefore investigated associations analog patients psychophysiological arousal selfreported emotional stress long term memory information provided physician one hundred eighty one cancernave individuals acted socalled analog patients aps ie instructed watch scripted videorecoding oncological bad news consultation imagining patients situation electrodermal cardiovascular activity eg skin conductance level heart rate recorded watching selfreported emotional stress assessed watching using staistate seven visual analog scales memory free recall recognition assessed 2428 h watching consultation evoked significant psychophysiological selfreported stress responses however investigating associations 24 psychophysiological arousal measures eight selfreported stress measures free recall recognition information resulted one significant small partial correlation r 019 considering multiple testing significant result probably due chance alternative analytical methods yielded identical results strengthening conclusion evidence found relationships variables interest nullfindings highly relevant may considered refute longstanding yet untested assumption relationship stress memory exists within context moreover findings suggest lowering patients stress levels consultation would probably sufficient raise memory information optimal level alternative explanations findings discussed