The relationships between empathy, stress and social support among medical students

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between stress, social support, and empathy among medical students.MethodsWe evaluated the relationships between stress and empathy, and social support and empathy among medical students. The respondents completed a question-naire including demographic information, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Corre-lation and linear regression analyses were conducted, along with sub-analyses according to gender, admission system, and study year.ResultsIn total, 2,692 questionnaires were analysed. Empathy and social support positively correlated, and empathy and stress negatively correlated. Similar correla-tion patterns were detected in the sub-analyses; the correla-tion between empathy and stress among female students was negligible. In the regression model, stress and social support predicted empathy among all the samples. In the sub-analysis, stress was not a significant predictor among female and first-year students.ConclusionsStress and social support were significant predictors of empathy among all the students. Medical educators should provide means to foster resilience against stress or stress alleviation, and to ameliorate social support, so as to increase or maintain empathy in the long term. Furthermore, stress management should be emphasised, particularly among female and first-year students.

A multi-institutional and cross-sectional study on empathy in Chinese medical students: differences by student cadre or not, future career preference, and father’s education status

“…The differences in empathy are possibly related to cultural and social differences. For example, in Asian countries, high school graduates are admitted directly into medical colleges by passing a highly competitive and heavily science-oriented selection system [5,7,10,15]. Usually, only when students attach great importance to science subjects, such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry, can they outperform others to emerge at the top of their high school graduating class and Fig.…”

“…As a result of intense academic competition, feelings of jealousy, distrust, and animosity have been found to be common in peer relationships [40]. Such negative emotional states can impede the development of empathy [15,42].…”

Impact of peer support on student mental wellbeing: a systematic review

“…Studies have recommended stress management particularly for first years (Park et al, 2015). Evidence has shown that first year students experience higher levels of stress than those in later years, and that they are more likely to struggle with social adjustments (Ramsay, Jones, and Barker, 2007), suggesting that students may need peer support more at the beginning of their university life and less as they progress.…”

“…Evidence has shown that first year students experience higher levels of stress than those in later years, and that they are more likely to struggle with social adjustments (Ramsay, Jones, and Barker, 2007), suggesting that students may need peer support more at the beginning of their university life and less as they progress. However, studies comparing peer support across different years of study show that the more senior the student, the less supported they feel by their peers (Biro, Veres-Balajti, and Kosa, 2016) (Park et al, 2015).…”

Dentistry: Studying for a chosen career and the role of family, friends and support in that journey

“…Social networks and support have long been recognised within the wider health literature as having a positive influence on health and well‐being . Family, personal networks of support and group belonging are associated with academic achievement . These social networks can also can have a positive influence on student experiences of stress and well‐being, and it has been suggested that friendships and family can help to protect students from the impact of stressful situations …”