TY - JOUR
PY - 2019//
TI - More information = less aggression? Impact of information asymmetry on Chinese patients' aggression
JO - Frontiers in public health
A1 - Xu, Yuepei
A1 - He, Wen
SP - e118
EP - e118
VL - 7
IS -
N2 - Background: 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. Objective: 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. Methods: A total of 44 undergraduates (information asymmetry group, N = 22, 5 males, 17 females, mean age = 18.95, SD = 0.18; information symmetry group, N = 22, 7 males, 15 females, mean age = 19.27, SD = 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. Results: Participants in the information asymmetry group allocated significantly more hot sauce to the doctor (p <.005, d = 1.09) and displayed significantly lower trust level (p < 0.05, d = -0.78) than the control group. Patients' trust level had a significant mediating effect (95% confidence interval [-1.39, -0.05]). Conclusion: 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. Language: en
LA - en
SN - 2296-2565
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00118
ID - ref1
ER -