Signal delay effects on rapport in telepsychiatry

Video-mediated communication research has shown that telecommunication sign al delay can cause difficulty in interpersonal coordination of conversation . Studies of rapport suggest that interpersonal coordination is an importan t aspect of rapport. This study investigated the effect of signal delay on the level of rapport in quasi-psychotherapy sessions (stress evaluation). V ideo conference counseling sessions were conducted with three levels of sig nal delay, zero, 300 ms, and 1,000 ms. These were compared to face-to-face counseling sessions. Three male counselors conducted the sessions. Forty-ei ght client participants, primarily male and female college students, were e nrolled in the stress evaluations. The level of client perceived rapport wa s measured using a self-report instrument administered following the sessio n. The results did not provide evidence for an effect on rapport from delay when considering males and females together. However, males and females we re found to respond differently regarding rapport. While no significant dif ferences in rapport were found for males, females scored lower for rapport in the face-to-face condition than in the zero delay and the 300 ms delay c ondition. These differences may be attributed to the medium rather than to signal delay. Females may have felt more comfortable with unfamiliar male c ounselors in the video conferences because of the isolation provided, an ef fect that may have therapeutic application.