Empathy for patient care in medical students: new evidence on the importance of self-transcendence
Psychology, Health & Medicine November 2, 2020 M. Miniotti
Empathy is important in clinical care for patient satisfaction, adherence, and outcomes. This study examined how personality traits relate to empathy in 299 second-year Italian medical students. Students completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and the Temperament and Character Inventory. Positive low correlations appeared between empathy and Reward Dependence, Cooperativeness, and Self-transcendence. A regression model explained 14% of the variance in empathy, with sex and Self-transcendence as significant predictors. Female students were more empathetic than males, and greater Self-transcendence was associated with more empathy toward patient care. Attention to personality in medical curricula may help sustain student empathy.