The relationship between empathy and personality traits in Saudi medical students

Yasien, Saba; Almuzaini, Fadwa

doi:10.4103/jehp.jehp_851_21

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 25 publications

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“…Empathy for patients can be enabled or prevented by various factors [ 42 ]. Notably, Saudi Arabian personality factors explain 10–19% of the variance in empathy [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Saudi Physicians’ Approaches to Communicate Bad News and Bridging Generational Gaps

Al Zomia,

AlHefdhi,

Alqarni

et al. 2023

Healthcare

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Breaking bad news is an intrinsic aspect of physicians’ clinical practices. This study aims to investigate how Saudi physicians manage the process of communicating bad news and explore potential differences in breaking bad news practices between young physicians (interns) and their older colleagues. From 1 March to 15 April 2023, ok an anonymous online cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore the communication practices of Saudi physicians concerning breaking bad news using the Communicating Bad News Questionnaire. The physicians were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling methods, and the survey questionnaire was distributed on various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp. Data were analyzed using R version 4.2.1. A total of 782 physicians were included in this study. Male physicians represented 50.9% of the participants. Three-quarters (74.7%) were aged 25–30 years. The largest proportion of physicians (45.3%) were interns, followed by junior residents (22.9%), senior residents (11.0%), and specialists (6.5%). The median years of experience was 1.0, ranging from 0 to 45 years. Regarding the place of work, most physicians (86.6%) worked in hospitals, while 13.4% worked in primary healthcare centers. A total of 14.8% said they were not comfortable with discussing patients’/relatives’ issues (20.60 among interns vs. 10.50% among non-interns, χ2 = 27.50, p = 0.0001), 66.6% reported being trained to break bad news (59.60% among interns vs. 72.40% among non-interns, χ2 = 14.34, p = 0.001), 59.1% reported breaking bad news to the patient, 37.9% reported to the family, and 3.1% reported to both, with no significant difference between interns and non-interns. A substantial proportion of physicians reported feeling uncomfortable discussing sensitive issues with patients and their relatives despite having received training to deliver bad news and being willing to communicate bad news directly to patients. Notably, our analysis identified a significant disparity between intern and non-intern physicians, particularly in terms of their comfort level in addressing patient-related concerns and access to breaking bad news training.

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“…Empathy for patients can be enabled or prevented by various factors [ 42 ]. Notably, Saudi Arabian personality factors explain 10–19% of the variance in empathy [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Saudi Physicians’ Approaches to Communicate Bad News and Bridging Generational Gaps

Al Zomia,

AlHefdhi,

Alqarni

et al. 2023

Healthcare

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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The Relationship Between Personality, Resilience, and Empathy in Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

Sun,

Chen,

Miao

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BACKGROUND Empathy is related to enhancing skills, increasing engagement and education, improving compliance, reducing emotional distress, and enhancing quality of life. Although empathy and the Big Five personality traits have been studied in medical students, there is a lack of research addressing these factors in dental students, as well as exploring the role of resilience in the relationship between empathy and personality traits. OBJECTIVE The aims of this study were threefold: (1) assess the level of empathy among dental students; (2) explore the correlation between the Big Five personality traits, resilience, and empathy; and (3) investigate the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and empathy. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2023 with 291 participants who completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Big Five Inventory, and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Stratified linear regression analysis was used to investigate the mediated relationship. RESULTS Women had a higher level of empathy than men in the fantasy dimension of empathy (P=.003). Younger participants had a higher level of empathy than older participants in the fantasy (P=.009) and empathic concern (P=.025) dimensions. First and second year students had a higher level of empathy than students in later years in the dimensions of perspective taking (P=.030), fantasy (P=.001), and empathic concern (P=.001). Perspective taking, fantasy, and empathic concern exhibited positive correlations with extraversion (r=0.41, r=0.29, r=0.35, respectively), agreeableness (r=0.58, r=0.45, r=0.59, respectively), openness (r=0.59, r=0.52, r=0.43, respectively), and conscientiousness (r=0.48 r=0.28, r=0.36, respectively). Personal distress was negatively correlated with extraversion (r=-0.42), agreeableness (r=-0.37), openness (r=-0.30), and conscientiousness (r=-0.39). Neuroticism was positively associated with personal distress (r=0.68) and negatively associated with perspective taking (r=-0.20) and empathic concern (r=-0.20). Resilience fully mediated the relationships between empathy and the traits of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness, whereas resilience was a partial mediator in the relationships between empathy and the traits of extraversion and neuroticism. CONCLUSIONS Interventions that focus on personality traits and resilience may be effective strategies for enhancing empathy in dental students.

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The relationship between empathy and personality traits in Saudi medical students

Cited by 2 publications

References 25 publications

Examining Saudi Physicians’ Approaches to Communicate Bad News and Bridging Generational Gaps

Examining Saudi Physicians’ Approaches to Communicate Bad News and Bridging Generational Gaps

The Relationship Between Personality, Resilience, and Empathy in Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

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