701: Pain and Perceived Exploitability: Do Pain Behaviors and Observers� Psychopathic Traits Matter?

Topic: Experimental (Non-clinical) Human Studies
Subtopic: Non -specific to any diagnosis, Psychology

Background and Aims: The Social Communication Model of Pain (SCM; Craig, 2015) proposes that judgements made about individuals experiencing pain are influenced by both characteristics of the person in pain and characteristics of the observer. This study investigated whether: (1) individuals displaying high pain behavior (HPB) would be perceived more negatively than those displaying low pain behavior (LPB), and (2) observers’ psychopathic traits would be associated with their ratings of individuals with chronic pain. It was hypothesized that: (1) individuals displaying HPB would be perceived as vulnerable to exploitation, and (2) observers’ psychopathic traits would be positively associated with ratings of exploitability.

Methods: A sample of 201 university students completed self-report measures including the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (Andershed et al., 2002). Participants viewed videos selected from the Ghent Pain Videos of Daily Activities (De Ruddere et al., 2013). They captured individuals with chronic back pain performing daily activities (e.g., sitting, standing, lying down) and included individuals exhibiting either low or high pain behavior. Four videos were used and included each combination of sex (viz., male or female) and pain behavior (viz., low or high). After watching each video, participants rated the individual on vulnerability to exploitation, support worthiness, and perceived mental health.

Results: Consistent with the first hypothesis, the individuals displaying HPB were rated as being more vulnerable to exploitation than those displaying LPB. They were also rated as less mentally healthy and more worthy of support. Observer psychopathic traits were generally unrelated to ratings made regarding support worthiness and mental health. There was some support for the second hypothesis that psychopathic traits would be positively associated with rating of vulnerability to exploitation. However, support for this hypothesis was only found when considering the correlations related to the video of the male displaying LPB.

Conclusions: Research based on the SCM has investigated whether HPB can cause observers to discount pain and influence their perceptions of deservingness of support. The current study extends this literature by identifying pain behavior as a potential social signal of perceived vulnerability to exploitation. Forensic psychology research suggests that individuals high in psychopathic traits may be attuned to the behavioral cues associated with vulnerability when evaluating potential victims. Overall, the findings provide limited support for the idea that observer psychopathic traits shape evaluations of vulnerability made about strangers experiencing pain.

References: Andershed, H., Kerr, M., Stattin, H., & Levander, S. (2002). Psychopathic traits in non-referred youths: A new assessment tool. In E. Blaauw & L. Sheridan (Eds.), Psychopaths: Current International Perspectives (pp. 131-158). Elsevier.

Craig, K. D. (2015). Social communication model of pain. Pain, 156(7), 1198–1199.

De Ruddere, L., Goubert, L., Stevens, M.A.L., Williams, A. C. de C., & Crombez, G. (2013). Discounting pain in the absence of medical evidence is explained by negative evaluation of the patient. Pain, 154, 669-676.

Presenting Author: Lachlan A. McWilliams
Submitting Author: Lachlan McWilliams

Senior Author: Kelsey Morrison

IASP 2026 Global Year theme of Neuropathic Pain: No

• Kelsey Morrison: Ph.D. - University of Saskatchewan