Empathic and validating communication by significant others and healthcare professionals to alleviate stigma and improve well-being: A cross-cultural investigation among individuals with chronic pain
In light of the high prevalence of chronic pain and the significant stigma faced by individuals living with this condition, there is growing recognition that skepticism regarding pain authenticity contributes to health inequalities and adversely affects physical health, social relationships, and overall well-being.
Fundamental research into the mechanisms that can mitigate these effects remains limited. Pain empathy and validation—involving belief in the genuineness of pain, acceptance of pain expressions, and communicating this acceptance—show promise as interventions, yet their effectiveness across different cultural contexts and communication settings is underexplored. Additionally, comprehensive understanding of treatment trajectories and public attitudes toward chronic pain in non-Western contexts, particularly China, is lacking.
This research project aims to comprehensively examine pain empathy and validation as mechanisms to combat chronic pain stigma from a cross-cultural perspective, conducting studies with individuals with chronic pain in both Belgium and China to investigate the role of perceived empathy from healthcare providers and significant others, explore gender and cultural moderating effects, examine treatment pathways and public stigma toward chronic pain specifically within the Chinese context, and compare the effectiveness of different communication approaches to develop culturally informed, evidence-based interventions for improving chronic pain care across Western and non-Western settings.
Project details
Duration
March 28, 2025 – September 20, 2026
Funding
China Scholarship Council (CSC)
Research team
- Prof. Liesbet Goubert
- Prof. Sónia Bernardes
- dr. Maité Van Alboom
- Yitan Wang
Key themes
chronic pain stigma - pain empathy - cross-cultural research - pain validation - patient-provider communication