Would You Take an Open-Label Placebo Pill or Give One to Your Child? Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background

Open-label placebos (OLPs), honestly prescribed regarding their inert nature, have been associated with positive health-related effects in both children and adults. However, OLPs are not always perceived by laypeople as a viable treatment option.

Methods

A brief online survey with 806 adult participants (age range: 18–75 years; 29% parents) was conducted to identify predictor variables that are associated with the willingness to take an OLP pill (criterion 1) or to give an OLP to one’s child (criterion 2). The survey covered aspects including the perceived plausibility of the treatment concept for both OLPs and deceptive placebos (DPs), self-reported knowledge about placebos, the expected effectiveness of OLPs in treating emotional/ somatic problems, and attitudes concerning taking pills in general. Multiple hierarchical regressions were carried out.

Results

The expected effectiveness of OLPs in alleviating both emotional and physical ailments and the plausibility of the treatment concepts for both OLPs and DPs significantly predicted the willingness to use OLPs (R² = 0.485). A similar finding was observed when predicting the willingness to administer an OLP to one’s child (R² = 0.443).

Conclusion

Favorable expectations regarding the reduction of emotional and somatic symptoms with OLPs, along with a strong belief in the credibility of placebo mechanisms, play a vital role in influencing the willingness to accept this kind of treatment. These factors can be incorporated into psychoeducational programs.

Plain Language Summary

Placebos that are administered to a person honestly, without any deception regarding their inert nature, are referred to as open-label placebos (OLPs). Recent research has documented that the concept of OLPs can be subject to skepticism by placebo recipients. Therefore, the current brief survey was directed at identifying factors that are associated with one’s reported willingness to, firstly, take an OLP, and secondly, to treat one’s child with an OLP. The results indicated polarized attitudes towards OLP treatment: a third of the participants held exceedingly unfavorable attitudes regarding OLPs, whereas another third was highly receptive to this form of treatment. Attitudes were influenced by expected treatment effects and the perceived plausibility of placebo concepts.

Keywords:

• open-label placebos
• acceptance
• outcome expectation
• plausibility
• children

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

The project was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF: KLI 1062-B).