‘Heroes Were (And Could Be) Created’: An Exploration of Adolescents' Perspectives of Portrayals of Pain and Empathy in Media

Background: Research suggests that media consumption plays a role in socialization, including the socialization of painful experiences. Findings from previous research examining pain depictions in popular adolescent media suggest that violence and injuries are frequently represented, marginalized populations are underrepresented, and observers lack prosocial responses to sufferers' pain. This study was the first to examine how adolescents perceive, internalize, and discuss pain depictions in popular adolescent media. Methods: Fourteen adolescents (between 13 and 18 years of age), both with and without chronic pain, participated in focus groups. Participants watched clips depicting pain in popular adolescent media before providing their feedback. Results: Using reflexive thematic analysis, three themes were generated: (1) a failure to communicate, but not to empathize—observers may be fearful or lack the tools and confidence to address sufferer pain, (2) media as the metric—media serves as the metric by which we can compare pain experiences, which may contribute to stigma and disbelief, and (3) media as the conduit for transformation—media may be harnessed to properly represent and build empathy for pain. Significance: These novel findings suggest that media portrayals of pain may shape youths' beliefs about pain expression, validation, and empathy. Media could therefore serve as a modifiable target for reducing pain-related stigma and improving empathic responses to pain.