@article{ref1,
title="More information = less aggression? Impact of information asymmetry on Chinese patients' aggression",
journal="Frontiers in public health",
year="2019",
author="Xu, Yuepei and He, Wen",
volume="7",
number="",
pages="e118-e118",
abstract="<b>Background:</b> Information asymmetry is a widely studied economic phenomenon. It refers to the situation in which one group in a transaction has more information than the other. Nowadays, information asymmetry has been studied not only as a financial topic but also as a potential reason for essential social problems. <b>Objective:</b> To take Chinese doctor-patient relationship as an example and investigate the relationship among information asymmetry, trust level, and aggression behavior using an experimental design. <b>Methods:</b> A total of 44 undergraduates (information asymmetry group, <i>N</i> = 22, 5 males, 17 females, mean age = 18.95, <i>SD</i> = 0.18; information symmetry group, <i>N</i> = 22, 7 males, 15 females, mean age = 19.27, <i>SD</i> = 0.18) took part in our experiment. Different slides and guidance were used to create a virtual information asymmetry situation, and we use the Wake Forest Physician Trust Scale (WFPTS) and the hot sauce allocation paradigm to measure their trust level and aggression, respectively. <b>Results:</b> Participants in the information asymmetry group allocated significantly more hot sauce to the doctor (<i>p</i> <.005, <i>d</i> = 1.09) and displayed significantly lower trust level (<i>p</i> < 0.05, <i>d</i> = -0.78) than the control group. Patients' trust level had a significant mediating effect (95% confidence interval [-1.39, -0.05]). <b>Conclusion:</b> Asymmetric information may arouse patients' aggression and lower their trust in doctors. Patients' trust level is also a significant partial mediator between their aggression and information asymmetry. The current study reinforces the urgent need for information openness in the Chinese medical system.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2296-2565",
doi="10.3389/fpubh.2019.00118",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00118"
}