Does precautionary information about electromagnetic fields trigger nocebo responses? An experimental risk communication study

Abstract

BackgroundRegarding electromagnetic fields from mobile communication technologies, empirical studies have shown that precautionary information given to lay recipients increases their risk perceptions, i.e. the belief that electromagnetic fields are dangerous. Taking this finding one step further, the current study investigates whether precautionary information also leads to higher symptom perceptions in an alleged exposure situation. Building on existing research on nocebo responses to sham electromagnetic fields, an interaction of the precautionary information with personality characteristics was hypothesised.MethodsAn experimental design with sham exposure to an electromagnetic field of a WLAN device was deployed. The final sample is constituted by N = 137 participants. Participants received either only basic information about the safety of current WLAN exposure limits or in addition also precautionary information (e.g. ‘prefer wired connections if wireless technology can be relinquished’). Subsequently, symptoms and other variables were assessed before and after sham exposure to a WLAN electromagnetic field.ResultsResults are not in favour of the hypothesised effects. There was neither a main effect of precautionary information, nor were there any of the hypothesised interaction effects of precautionary information and personality characteristics on perceived symptoms under sham exposure. Exploratory analyses highlight the role of prior risk perception as a predictor of nocebo responses, and of symptom expectations as a mediator between these two variables.ConclusionsAs the statistical power to detect even small effects was relatively high, we interpret this as a robust indication that precautionary information does not lead to increased nocebo responses by itself. The implications for health authorities´ communication with the public are discussed.

Wi-fi related radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF): a pilot experimental study of personal exposure and risk perception

“…Exposure perception to Wi-Fi related RF-EMF and risk perception were moderately correlated. This is consistent with previous research that reported the correlation between perceived exposure and risk perception to RF-EMF in general [6,11,12], as well as that from Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) [5].…”

“…Previous studies reported increased risk perception after the provision of precautionary information and selected media reports that strongly suggested the harmfulness of EMFs [ 5 , 26 , 28 ]. In contrast, we hypothesised that risk perception would be lower after receiving objectively measured personal RF-EMF exposure from Wi-Fi sources compared to the provision of precautionary or basic text information.…”

“…This study is unique in that it was an experimental design, the measurement and provision of objectively assessed personal RF-EMF exposure to participants, and the assessment of risk perceptions were carried out among a random sample recruited from the general public. In former studies, risk perception was directly assessed after some information provision had been given [ 5 , 7 , 21 , 26 ], but without objectively measured exposure information. For the current study, both exposure and risk perception to Wi-Fi related RF-EMF were directly connected to their objectively measured personal RF-EMF exposure levels.…”

The Effect of Narrative Visualizations on Public Risk Perception of Magnetic Fields Emanating from High Voltage Power Lines – and the Role of Anxiety

“…The personality trait anxiety has already been investigated in the context of risk perception (e.g. Böhmert et al, 2017;Böhmert et al, 2018;Bouyer et al, 2001;Butler & Mathews, 1983;Witthöft & Rubin, 2013) "Anxiety is an emotional state defined by cognitive as well as somatic symptomatology such as feelings of tension, worried thoughts, increased blood pressure, sweating, derealization, and the anticipation of a future danger or threat" (Carlucci et al, 2018, p. 1). While (Freud, 1920) considered anxiety to be a unidimensional psychological state, current research differentiates between 'state anxiety' 6 and 'trait anxiety' 7 (Endler & Kocovski, 2001;Heeren et al, 2018;Laux & Spielberger, 1981;Spielberger, 1983).…”

Personal Exposure Assessment to Wi-Fi Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields in Mexican Microenvironments

“…Other studies also refer to risk perception, but the results were only obtained from questionnaire application without carrying out measurements of personal exposure [84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91], and other studies that measured exposure to RF-EMF did not evaluate risk perception [15,79,92,93]. As stated in the introduction, most studies on this topic are conducted in Europe, not in Mexico, and therefore this is a novel study.…”