Empathy and Personality Styles in Medical Students

Abstract

This study aimed to establish the relationship between empathy and personality styles in medical students, considering the differences by gender. The participants were 278 students of the medical career of the Universidad del Azuay, Ecuador. They were evaluated using the Jefferson empathy scale and the Millon Index of Personality Styles. Relationships between empathy and personality styles were examined using Pearson's correlation coefficient and hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, for comparisons by gender and educational levels; with both Student's t test and analysis of variance used respectively. Results indicated that the factor structure of the empathy scale is invariant between men and women, noticing gender differences in care with compassion and total empathy, with women presenting a higher mean. Differences are observed by educational level, where the general empathy in the first three years grows progressively, and then slightly decrease. In conclusion, female students present a mean score of total empathy greater than men, with differences of empathy according to educational level

Empathy in Professors and Students of a School of Dentistry in the Caribbean

“…However, empathy characteristics observed in clinical professors in this paper are necessary but insufficient to produce empathy "transfer" from the professor to the student. Empathy has been influenced by several factors [6,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], and a study into how these specifically modify empathy in professors and how these can positively or negatively contribute to the empathy teaching-learning process is consequently required.…”

“…However, complexity of empathy as an attribute poses a problem [11,13,14], implying that the introduction of empathy into student training processes requires time and preparation and is the result of a planned strategy and dynamic action and is, in fact, influenced by several factors [6,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], among others, the example set by professors [2]. This difficulty is a common characteristic for all Health Science students [6,[15][16][17][19][20][21][22][23].…”

“…However, complexity of empathy as an attribute poses a problem [11,13,14], implying that the introduction of empathy into student training processes requires time and preparation and is the result of a planned strategy and dynamic action and is, in fact, influenced by several factors [6,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], among others, the example set by professors [2]. This difficulty is a common characteristic for all Health Science students [6,[15][16][17][19][20][21][22][23]. In this context, the objective of this paper is to estimate empathy levels in students and professors from basic and preclinical areas, as well as from the clinical area of a Dentistry School in the Dominican Republic, and to compare the empathy behavior of students and professors.…”

A Holistic Approach of Personality Traits in Medical Students: An Integrative Review

“…A close interplay between personality traits, empathy, and interprofessional collaboration was emphasised by recent studies, which proved that empathy is positively associated with collaborative interprofessional work in postgraduates who are at the beginning of their specialisation [ 37 ], being well-documented that both empathy and interprofessional work are influenced by personality traits. Moreover, it was underlined that general empathy might be predicted by different personality styles, such as styles of protection, sensation, and accommodation [ 38 ]. In terms of interprofessional collaboration and communication skills, it was noticed that individuals that display a greater degree of empathy find it easier to accept failures in their life, being more optimistic regarding the future, motivated to satisfy others first, and trying to change their environment to fulfil their goals [ 38 ].…”

“…Moreover, it was underlined that general empathy might be predicted by different personality styles, such as styles of protection, sensation, and accommodation [ 38 ]. In terms of interprofessional collaboration and communication skills, it was noticed that individuals that display a greater degree of empathy find it easier to accept failures in their life, being more optimistic regarding the future, motivated to satisfy others first, and trying to change their environment to fulfil their goals [ 38 ]. According to Zaki et al, empathy is a motivated phenomenon implying a close interaction between social desirability and intrinsic motivation [ 69 ].…”