Dr Rebecca Webster
School of Psychology
Lecturer in Psychology
Full contact details
School of Psychology
Cathedral Court
1 Vicar Lane
Sheffield
S1 2LT
- Profile
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Following my undergraduate degree in Psychology at Durham University, I went to King’s College London to complete an MSc in Health Psychology. I stayed at King’s to complete my PhD on nocebo effects (the ‘evil twin’ of the better known placebo), and afterwards spent a number of years there as a postdoctoral researcher within the Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response. My research interests broadly encompass the area of Health Psychology, in particular placebo/nocebo effects, risk communication and health behaviour in the context of public health emergencies. In 2020 I moved back up north and joined the Psychology department at Sheffield.
- Qualifications
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- BSc (Hons) Psychology - Durham University
- MSc Health Psychology - King’s College London
- PhD Psychology - King’s College London
- Research interests
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- Placebo/nocebo effects - How can we enhance placebo and reduce nocebo effects in the context of medicines in a way that is ethical (i.e. without impacting informed consent)? And does this have implications for adherence?
- Risk communication - Improving communication of risks in patient information leaflets, the doctor-patient consultation, and the role of empathy.
- Health behaviour change - Understanding and improving engagement in health behaviours, e.g. screening, adherence, presenteeism
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- The effect of nocebo explanation and empathy on side-effect expectations of medication use following a fictional GP consultation. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 29(4), 809-821. View this article in WRRO
- Why do children attend school, engage in other activities, or socialise when they have symptoms of an infectious illness? A cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open, 13(11). View this article in WRRO
- Parent-reported child’s close contact with non-household family members and their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey. PLoS ONE, 18(10). View this article in WRRO
- Risk factors for school-based presenteeism in children: a systematic review. BMC Psychology, 11. View this article in WRRO
- What Is the benefit of adding placebo side-effect information to positively framed patient leaflets?. European Journal of Health Psychology, 30(3). View this article in WRRO
- Social communication pathways to COVID-19 vaccine side-effect expectations and experience. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 164.
- A qualitative study about how families coped with managing their well-being, children’s physical activity and education during the COVID-19 school closures in England. PLOS ONE, 17(12).
- A qualitative study evaluating the factors affecting families’ adherence to the first COVID-19 lockdown in England using the COM-B model and TDF. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(12).
- Do side effects to the primary COVID-19 vaccine reduce intentions for a COVID-19 vaccine booster?. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 56(8), 761-768. View this article in WRRO
- What influences whether parents recognise COVID-19 symptoms, request a test and self-isolate: A qualitative study. PLoS ONE, 17(2). View this article in WRRO
- Psychosocial Factors Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 91(2), 136-138.
- Why did some parents not send their children back to school following school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 5(1). View this article in WRRO
- Do overly complex reporting guidelines remove the focus from good clinical trials?. British Medical Journal, 374.
- Predicting expectations of side-effects for those which are warned versus not warned about in patient information leaflets. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 55(12), 1253-1261. View this article in WRRO
- Measuring the success of blinding in placebo-controlled trials: should we be so quick to dismiss it?. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 135, 176-181. View this article in WRRO
- When symptoms become side effects : development of the Side Effect Attribution Scale (SEAS). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 141. View this article in WRRO
- Research fatigue in COVID-19 pandemic and post-disaster research: Causes, consequences and recommendations. Disaster Prevention and Management, 29(4), 445-455. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of positively framing side-effect risk in two different formats on side-effect expectations, informed consent and credibility: A randomised trial of 16- to 75-year-olds in England. Drug Safety, 43(10), 1011-1022. View this article in WRRO
- Public responses to the Salisbury Novichok incident: A cross-sectional survey of anxiety, anger, uncertainty, perceived risk and avoidance behaviour in the local community. BMJ Open, 10. View this article in WRRO
- TIDieR-Placebo: A guide and checklist for reporting placebo and sham controls. PLoS Medicine, 17(9). View this article in WRRO
- A systematic review of factors associated with side-effect expectations from medical interventions. Health Expectations, 23(4), 731-758. View this article in WRRO
- How to improve adherence with quarantine : rapid review of the evidence. Public Health, 182, 163-169.
- The impact of unplanned school closure on children’s social contact : rapid evidence review. Eurosurveillance, 25(13).
- The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it : rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912-920.
- A systematic review of infectious illness presenteeism : prevalence, reasons and risk factors. BMC Public Health, 19(1).
- Inadequate description of placebo and sham controls in a systematic review of recent trials. European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 49(11).
- Explaining all without causing unnecessary harm : is there scope for positively framing medical risk information?. Patient Education and Counseling, 102(3), 602-603.
- Influencing side-effects to medicinal treatments : a systematic review of brief psychological interventions. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9.
- Rapid overview of systematic reviews of nocebo effects reported by patients taking placebos in clinical trials. Trials, 19(1).
- Positively Framed Risk Information in Patient Information Leaflets Reduces Side Effect Reporting: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 52(11), 920-929.
- Ethical issues surrounding the study of nocebo effects : recommendations for deceptive research. British Journal of Health Psychology, 23(4), 775-781.
- Public attitudes in England towards the sharing of personal data following a mass casualty incident : a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 8(5).
- Medicine-related beliefs predict attribution of symptoms to a sham medicine : a prospective study. British Journal of Health Psychology, 23(2), 436-454.
- How does the side-effect information in patient information leaflets influence peoples’ side-effect expectations? A cross-sectional national survey of 18- to 65-year-olds in England. Health Expectations, 20(6), 1411-1420.
- People’s understanding of verbal risk descriptors in patient information leaflets : a cross-sectional national survey of 18- to 65-year-olds in England. Drug Safety, 40(8), 743-754.
- Psychological factors associated with uptake of the childhood influenza vaccine and perception of post-vaccination side-effects : a cross-sectional survey in England. Vaccine, 35(15), 1936-1945.
- A systematic review of factors that contribute to nocebo effects.. Health Psychology, 35(12), 1334-1355.
Book chapters
- Ethics of Research and Service-Learning in Disasters, Service-Learning for Disaster Resilience (pp. 97-111). Routledge
All publications
Journal articles
- Cervical cancer screening attendance in young women and people with a cervix: an application of the COM-B model. British Journal of Health Psychology, 30(3). View this article in WRRO
- Exploring the relationship between medicine related beliefs and side-effect experience among White oral contraceptive users in the UK. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 57(2), 133-137. View this article in WRRO
- Perceived discrimination in healthcare settings is associated with medication side-effects and adherence: a cross-sectional survey representing the four largest ethnic groups in the UK. Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities. View this article in WRRO
- Identifying the key barriers, facilitators and factors associated with cervical cancer screening attendance in young women: A systematic review. Women's Health, 21. View this article in WRRO
- Utilising the COM-B model to interpret barriers and facilitators to cervical cancer screening in young women. Journal of Health Psychology, 30(9), 2340-2353. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of nocebo explanation and empathy on side-effect expectations of medication use following a fictional GP consultation. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 29(4), 809-821. View this article in WRRO
- Why do children attend school, engage in other activities, or socialise when they have symptoms of an infectious illness? A cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open, 13(11). View this article in WRRO
- Parent-reported child’s close contact with non-household family members and their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey. PLoS ONE, 18(10). View this article in WRRO
- Risk factors for school-based presenteeism in children: a systematic review. BMC Psychology, 11. View this article in WRRO
- What Is the benefit of adding placebo side-effect information to positively framed patient leaflets?. European Journal of Health Psychology, 30(3). View this article in WRRO
- Social communication pathways to COVID-19 vaccine side-effect expectations and experience. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 164.
- A qualitative study about how families coped with managing their well-being, children’s physical activity and education during the COVID-19 school closures in England. PLOS ONE, 17(12).
- A qualitative study evaluating the factors affecting families’ adherence to the first COVID-19 lockdown in England using the COM-B model and TDF. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(12).
- Do side effects to the primary COVID-19 vaccine reduce intentions for a COVID-19 vaccine booster?. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 56(8), 761-768. View this article in WRRO
- What influences whether parents recognise COVID-19 symptoms, request a test and self-isolate: A qualitative study. PLoS ONE, 17(2). View this article in WRRO
- Psychosocial Factors Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 91(2), 136-138.
- Why did some parents not send their children back to school following school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 5(1). View this article in WRRO
- Do overly complex reporting guidelines remove the focus from good clinical trials?. British Medical Journal, 374.
- Predicting expectations of side-effects for those which are warned versus not warned about in patient information leaflets. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 55(12), 1253-1261. View this article in WRRO
- Measuring the success of blinding in placebo-controlled trials: should we be so quick to dismiss it?. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 135, 176-181. View this article in WRRO
- When symptoms become side effects : development of the Side Effect Attribution Scale (SEAS). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 141. View this article in WRRO
- Research fatigue in COVID-19 pandemic and post-disaster research: Causes, consequences and recommendations. Disaster Prevention and Management, 29(4), 445-455. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of positively framing side-effect risk in two different formats on side-effect expectations, informed consent and credibility: A randomised trial of 16- to 75-year-olds in England. Drug Safety, 43(10), 1011-1022. View this article in WRRO
- Public responses to the Salisbury Novichok incident: A cross-sectional survey of anxiety, anger, uncertainty, perceived risk and avoidance behaviour in the local community. BMJ Open, 10. View this article in WRRO
- TIDieR-Placebo: A guide and checklist for reporting placebo and sham controls. PLoS Medicine, 17(9). View this article in WRRO
- A systematic review of factors associated with side-effect expectations from medical interventions. Health Expectations, 23(4), 731-758. View this article in WRRO
- How to improve adherence with quarantine : rapid review of the evidence. Public Health, 182, 163-169.
- The impact of unplanned school closure on children’s social contact : rapid evidence review. Eurosurveillance, 25(13).
- The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it : rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912-920.
- A systematic review of infectious illness presenteeism : prevalence, reasons and risk factors. BMC Public Health, 19(1).
- Inadequate description of placebo and sham controls in a systematic review of recent trials. European Journal of Clinical Investigation, 49(11).
- Large expert-curated database for benchmarking document similarity detection in biomedical literature search. Database - The Journal of Biological Databases and Curation. View this article in WRRO
- Explaining all without causing unnecessary harm : is there scope for positively framing medical risk information?. Patient Education and Counseling, 102(3), 602-603.
- Influencing side-effects to medicinal treatments : a systematic review of brief psychological interventions. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9.
- Rapid overview of systematic reviews of nocebo effects reported by patients taking placebos in clinical trials. Trials, 19(1).
- Positively Framed Risk Information in Patient Information Leaflets Reduces Side Effect Reporting: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 52(11), 920-929.
- Ethical issues surrounding the study of nocebo effects : recommendations for deceptive research. British Journal of Health Psychology, 23(4), 775-781.
- Public attitudes in England towards the sharing of personal data following a mass casualty incident : a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 8(5).
- Medicine-related beliefs predict attribution of symptoms to a sham medicine : a prospective study. British Journal of Health Psychology, 23(2), 436-454.
- How does the side-effect information in patient information leaflets influence peoples’ side-effect expectations? A cross-sectional national survey of 18- to 65-year-olds in England. Health Expectations, 20(6), 1411-1420.
- People’s understanding of verbal risk descriptors in patient information leaflets : a cross-sectional national survey of 18- to 65-year-olds in England. Drug Safety, 40(8), 743-754.
- Psychological factors associated with uptake of the childhood influenza vaccine and perception of post-vaccination side-effects : a cross-sectional survey in England. Vaccine, 35(15), 1936-1945.
- A systematic review of factors that contribute to nocebo effects.. Health Psychology, 35(12), 1334-1355.
- Parents’ Willingness to Send Children Back to School During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey. SSRN Electronic Journal.
- The Psychological Impact of Quarantine and How to Reduce It: Rapid Review of the Evidence. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Book chapters
- Quarantine, Lockdown, and Isolation in the COVID-19 Pandemic, Major Incidents, Pandemics and Mental Health (pp. 241-246). Cambridge University Press
- Ethics of Research and Service-Learning in Disasters, Service-Learning for Disaster Resilience (pp. 97-111). Routledge
Preprints
- How to improve adherence with quarantine: Rapid review of the evidence, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- The impact of unplanned school closure on children’s social contact: Rapid evidence review, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- The effect of nocebo explanation and empathy on side-effect expectations of medication use following a fictional GP consultation. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 29(4), 809-821. View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Current PhD students
- Lisa Woodland (King’s College London) - School children presenteeism
- Ismaila Yakubu (University of Sheffield) - Self-compassion and Perceived Self Control in the Relationship between Occupational Stressors, Adherence to Therapy and Well being of Employees with Diabetes in Nigeria
- Sonia Shpendi (University of Sheffield) - Cervical screening uptake in young women
- Grants
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- British Academy small research grant (2019). Exploring the best method of presenting side-effect information in patient information leaflets: a nationally representative survey of the English public. (£9,969.50)
- British Academy small research grant (2021). Discrimination in healthcare settings and the nocebo effect (£9,986.00)
- WHITE ROSE UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM (2021). Infectious illness presenteeism in the age of COVID-19 (£11,000)
- WUN Research Projects (2022). Getting back in touch: Emotional pathways to a post-pandemic world (£10,000)
- Teaching activities
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I teach on the following modules, on the Undergraduate Psychology degree:
- PSY1001 - Social Psychology I
- PSY2001 - Social Psychology II
- PSY346 – Dissertation projects
- PSY331 – Extended essay
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Chartered member of the British Psychological Society
- Editorial board member for the British Journal of Health Psychology
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- PhD Opportunities
I am not not accepting PhD applications/enquiries until March 2025.
We advertise PhD opportunities (Funded or Self-Funded) on FindAPhD.com
For further information, please see the department PhD Opportunities page.