The dark side of empathy: Meta‐analysis evidence of the relationship between empathy and depression

Yan, Zhiqiang; Zeng, Xiaoqing; Jin-Long, SU; Zhang, Xiaoxi

doi:10.1002/pchj.482

Cited by 48 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Specifically, when the level of attentional shift was low, the relationship between cognitive empathy and depression was no longer significant. When the level of individual attentional shift was high, the negative correlation between cognitive empathy and depression is significant, which is also consistent with previous research results, that is, in some studies, cognitive empathy and depression showed significantly negative correlation (Bennik et al, 2019) or not significantly correlated (Yan et al, 2021).…”

Section: Attentional Shift Not Focus Moderated the Relationship Betwe...supporting

confidence: 91%

“…Existing findings on the relationship between depression and empathy was inconsistent. For example, although cognitive empathy was generally thought to be negatively associated with depression ( Bennik et al, 2019 ), some empirical studies failed to find the asserted association ( Yan et al, 2021 ). Similarly, some studies found the positive association of emotional empathy and depression ( Bennik et al, 2019 ) while others found negative associations ( Chen et al, 2021 ; Zhang et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Empathy and depression among a Chinese sample: The moderating role of rumination and attentional shift

et al. 2022

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BackgroundAlthough previous studies have explored the moderating role of emotional regulation strategies in the relationship between empathy and depression, no studies have studied the moderating role of attentional control in the relationship between empathy and depression. To address this research gap, the present study investigated the moderating roles of rumination and attentional control in the relationship between empathy and depression.Methods423 participants filled out questionnaires anonymously, including Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Attention Control Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale, and Rumination Response Scale. PROCESS macro for SPSS was used for moderating effect analysis.ResultsRumination and attentional shift moderated the relationship between emotional empathy and depression. Specifically, the lower rumination or the higher attentional shift, the stronger the negative association between emotional empathy and depression. Attentional shift moderated the relationship between cognitive empathy and depression, and cognitive empathy was significantly associated with depression only among participants whose attentional shift is high.ConclusionThe study showed that rumination and attentional shift play important roles in the relationship between empathy and depression. The findings implicated that the positive role of good emotional regulation strategies and executive function for individuals in the relationship between empathy and depression.

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Section: Attentional Shift Not Focus Moderated the Relationship Betwe...supporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empathy and depression among a Chinese sample: The moderating role of rumination and attentional shift

et al. 2022

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“…In all these five facets, the differences between Cluster 1 and Cluster 2 were not significant. In light of previous studies, it seems that mood disorders symptoms relate to impairments in self-direction as well as in empathy (especially affective empathy) [ 54 – 56 ]. Mood disorders also relate to the ability for reciprocal cooperation (the Mutuality facet from the Intimacy element) [ 57 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Differences in personality functioning impairment in mood, anxiety, and personality disorders: a cluster analysis

et al. 2022

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Background The Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders and the latest eleventh version of the International Classification of Diseases implement the level of impairment in self and interpersonal personality functioning (Level of Personality Functioning Scale - LPFS) as a core feature of personality pathology. However, some studies have indicated that personality functioning is also impaired in other mental disorders, but a more thorough exploration is missing. Thus, this study aims to develop profiles of levels of personality functioning in people with personality disorders and some other psychiatric diagnoses as well as without diagnosis. Methods One-hundred-forty-nine people participated in the study. They came from three groups – healthy controls (n = 53), people with personality disorders (n = 58), and people with mood and anxiety disorders (n = 38). The LPFS was assessed by the Semi-structured Interview for Personality Functioning DSM-5 (STiP-5.1). An optimal clustering solution using agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis was generated to represent profiles of personality functioning. Results The two patient groups showed significantly higher levels of personality functioning impairment than healthy controls. People with personality disorders showed higher levels of impairment than the other groups. In addition, the clustering analysis revealed three distinct profiles of personality functioning. Conclusions The impairment of personality functioning seems to be useful in the clinical assessment of other than personality disorders as well. As the resulting clustering profiles suggest, LPFS can be seen as an overall indicator of the severity of mental health difficulties and the presence of mental disorders symptoms. The LPFS provides valuable and detailed information about the individual’s mental health and can thus serve as a broad basis for case formulation, treatment and therapy planning, and prognosis.

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“…In the self-evaluation, the introversion trait was the most frequent; 50% of the patients did not feel at ease with themselves and 42% were dissatisfied with their school environment, but they did have high levels of empathy. Previous studies have shown that personality traits such as introversion and empathy are risk factors for mental disorder development [ 64 , 65 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors

et al. 2022

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The impact of the COVID-19 health crisis on the mental health of the population requires the implementation of new primary screening strategies of mental health disorders to intervene in a timelier manner, and technology may provide solutions. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the mobile app Mentali (version 1.1.2; creators: Jorge Alfonso Solís Galván Sodel Vázquez Reyes, Margarita de la Luz Martínez Fierro, Perla Velasco Elizondo, Idalia Garza Veloz, Alejandro Mauricio González and Claudia Caldera Villalobos, Zacatecas, México) as a primary screening tool for anxiety and depression disorders in medical students and to assess the triggering risk factors. This was a descriptive and longitudinal study and included 155 Mexican medical students. Participants interacted with Mentali for 6 months. The mobile app integrated the Beck anxiety and depression inventories together with a mood module. At the end of the interaction, the students received psychological and psychiatric interventions to confirm their primary diagnoses. Symptoms of moderate/severe anxiety and depression were present in 62.6% and 54.6% of the studied population. When corroborating the diagnoses, Mentali obtained a sensitivity of 100%, 95%, and 43% to classify a mental health disorder, anxiety, and depression, respectively. The most important triggers found were as follows: belonging to a dysfunctional family, being introverted, and having suffered from bullying. The proportion of users with excellent/good mood decreased from 78.7% to 34.4% at the end of the semester, and the proportion of users who claimed to have bad/very bad mood increased from 7.4% to 34.4% at the end of the semester (p < 0.05). Mentali was useful for identifying users with anxiety and/or depression, and as an auxiliary tool to coordinate the provision of specialized interventions, allowing us to increase the proportion of patients who needed psychological care and received it by 30%. The efficacy of Mentali in identifying activities through time with an impact on the mood and mental health of the users was confirmed. Our results support the use of Mentali for the primary screening of mental health disorders in young adults, including medical students.

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The dark side of empathy: Meta‐analysis evidence of the relationship between empathy and depression

Cited by 48 publications

References 72 publications

Empathy and depression among a Chinese sample: The moderating role of rumination and attentional shift

Empathy and depression among a Chinese sample: The moderating role of rumination and attentional shift

Differences in personality functioning impairment in mood, anxiety, and personality disorders: a cluster analysis

Usefulness of a Mobile Application (Mentali) for Anxiety and Depression Screening in Medical Students and Description of the Associated Triggering Factors

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