Metastereotypes impairing doctor–patient relations: The roles of intergroup anxiety and patient trust

Abstract This study examined whether patients' negative metastereotypes undermine their perception of doctor–patient relations through raising their intergroup anxiety and decreasing their trust level. One hundred twenty‐four outpatients from a Chinese hospital participated in this study; they were randomly assigned to either the negative metastereotype activation (NMSA) or the non‐NMSA condition according to different instructions. Then, they were asked to complete the Intergroup Anxiety, Patient Trust, and Doctor–Patient Relations Scale. Patients' negative metastereotypes undermined doctor–patient relations through the mediation of intergroup anxiety and patient trust (i.e., the independent mediation effect of intergroup anxiety and patient trust) and the serial mediation effect of intergroup anxiety and patient trust. These findings suggest that future research consider intergroup anxiety and patient trust in developing interventions to improve doctor–patient relations.