Interview with the IPS Principal Investigators: Kaya Peerdeman
Who are you and how did you become involved with IPS?
Hi, I am Kaya Peerdeman. I work as an assistant professor at IPS. I have been studying placebo and nocebo effects, and more generally expectancy effects, since the start of my PhD, first at Radboud UMC in Nijmegen, then at Leiden University. I examine how expectations impact health outcomes like pain and other symptoms (e.g., itch, stress) and what biopsychosocial factors are involved (e.g., physiological responses, anxiety, doctor-patient communication). Central in my work are mechanistic studies bridging fundamental and applied research with the aim to translate findings to clinical practice to optimize treatments.
What is the focus of your current research, and why is this important?
Currently, my particular interests are in examining the boundaries of expectancy effects,contrast effects, and the impact of expectancy violations and uncertainty on pain and affective responses like trust, anxiety, and disappointment. For example, in recent experimental research I examined the impact of both the magnitude and certainty of pain expectations to test core hypotheses and boundaries of Bayesian models including predictive processing. We found that greater underpredictions do not necessarily cause more pain relief, while it is associated with increasing disappointment. Moreover, in contrast to our hypotheses, certain expectations did not yield greater pain relief than uncertain expectations, but they were generally associated with greater disappointment. In addition to this, I see a great need for more clinically applied research in the field to be able to grasp how we can improve health care in practice. A novel line of research is aimed at translating empirical knowledge to clinical practice by examining how midwives may optimize expectations during shared decision-making on childbirth pain management, in order to improve childbirth experiences. Key here is the reinforcement of positive, yet realistic expectations while also preparing women for the unpredictability of childbirth.
What inspired you to pursue this research topic?
My initial inspiration to pursue research into expectancy effects, or more generally the effectsof biopsychosocial mechanisms, on physical symptoms and treatment outcomes stems from a fascination for the interaction of body and mind. I still find the intricate interplay of our thoughts and feelings with our physical health highly fascinating and more and more have come to recognize the key importance of enhancing our understanding of the body-mind interaction for good physical and mental health care.
How does your research align with the mission and goals of IPS?
My work perfectly aligns with the mission and goals of IPS as it encompasses the whole spectrum from mechanistic to applied scientific research into placebo and nocebo effects and beyond. Additionally, I also actively contribute to the dissemination of obtained insights to healthcare professionals, patients, students, and lay people through for example the development of trainings (e-learning and VR communication training with a virtual patient),academic courses, and media contributions.
What impact do you hope your research will have, both in science and in society?
I hope my research will contribute to better healthcare, particularly by improving treatment effects through doctor-patient communication. This would entail both the improvement of symptoms and disease processes as well as the psychological burden and stress experienced by patients.
What are the next steps or future ambitions for your research?
My ambitions are to pursue and expand on my existing research lines addressing questionsthat are arising from scientific research and clinical practice. For example, the violation of expectations is a common issue in childbirth that both involved healthcare providers and mothers recognize as being associated with negative, sometimes even traumatic, childbirth experiences, with potential long term consequences for mother and child. I am now commencing research to address this through optimizing expectations during pregnancy in regular care.
