IADR Abstract Archives
Effects of Audiovisual Stimuli on Negative Emotions and Pain Perception
Objectives: Dental treatment may involve invasive and painful procedures, and is therefore often associated with negative emotions. Studies show that pain experience is a key factor in development of dental anxiety, and several studies show that negative emotions increase pain levels. This study investigated the hypothesis that exposure to audio and video from dental treatment will elicit negative emotions and increase pain reports.
Methods: Eighty healthy volunteers were randomly distributed into four groups balancing mode (video vs audio) and content of stimuli (surgical dental procedure vs dental hygiene procedure), and a control group receiving no video or audio exposure. Pain stimuli was provided by using a 47°C aluminium thermode placed on the participants’ forearm before and immediately after the video or audio exposure. Participants rated emotional valence and arousal on a questionnaire and pain levels using a computerized visual analogue scale.
Results: The level of negative emotions were significantly higher after the video of a surgical dental procedure compared to a dental hygiene procedure, but video was no more effective than sound in eliciting negative emotions. Both negative video and audio lead to higher pain reports compared to the neutral conditions, but only when negative stimuli precedes neutral stimuli. Further, pain reports in the control group were significantly higher compared to all other conditions. This might imply that watching a film or listening to sounds creates a distraction from the pain, but this pain reducing effect lessens when the stimuli increases negative emotions.
Conclusions: Video and sound showing invasive dental treatment significantly increased self-reported negative emotions. Pain reports were influenced by the valence of sensory information, but the effects were dependent upon order of presentation. Exposing participants to stimuli in a laboratory context appears to distract from pain experience and lead to lowered pain reports.
Methods: Eighty healthy volunteers were randomly distributed into four groups balancing mode (video vs audio) and content of stimuli (surgical dental procedure vs dental hygiene procedure), and a control group receiving no video or audio exposure. Pain stimuli was provided by using a 47°C aluminium thermode placed on the participants’ forearm before and immediately after the video or audio exposure. Participants rated emotional valence and arousal on a questionnaire and pain levels using a computerized visual analogue scale.
Results: The level of negative emotions were significantly higher after the video of a surgical dental procedure compared to a dental hygiene procedure, but video was no more effective than sound in eliciting negative emotions. Both negative video and audio lead to higher pain reports compared to the neutral conditions, but only when negative stimuli precedes neutral stimuli. Further, pain reports in the control group were significantly higher compared to all other conditions. This might imply that watching a film or listening to sounds creates a distraction from the pain, but this pain reducing effect lessens when the stimuli increases negative emotions.
Conclusions: Video and sound showing invasive dental treatment significantly increased self-reported negative emotions. Pain reports were influenced by the valence of sensory information, but the effects were dependent upon order of presentation. Exposing participants to stimuli in a laboratory context appears to distract from pain experience and lead to lowered pain reports.