Publications [#301768] of Peter A Ubel

Journal Articles

1. Damschroder, LJ; Zikmund-Fisher, BJ; Ubel, PA, Considering adaptation in preference elicitations., Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, vol. 27 no. 3 (May, 2008), pp. 394-399, ISSN 0278-6133 [18624605], [doi]
   (last updated on 2026/01/17)

   Abstract:
   

   Objective

   Patients with chronic health conditions usually place higher utility on their condition than the public does. One explanation for this discrepancy is that healthy people focus on the negative aspects of the condition without considering their own ability to emotionally adapt to the condition over time. The aim of this randomized experimental study was to test whether people would give higher utility ratings for chronic health conditions when they were encouraged to consider their own ability to adapt to difficult situations before giving their ratings.

   Main outcome measure

   Utility ratings for four chronic health conditions.

   Results

   The authors presented scenarios describing 4 chronic health conditions to 1,117 respondents drawn from a demographically balanced U.S. Internet panel. The adaptation exercise did not influence respondents' valuations. However, utility values increasingly improved with decreasing ratings of how upsetting it would be to live with the condition over time.

   Conclusion

   The authors speculate that asking people to think about adaptation changes their evaluations of what it would feel like to live with chronic illness, but doing so does not change how much they are willing to trade off to avoid that chronic illness.