Affiliation:
1. Institute of Family Medicine, University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany
2. Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany
Abstract
Purpose: In this longitudinal study, we investigated the development of empathy during medical education and assessed potential predictors of empathy at different time points in the course of medical studies. Methods: In our longitudinal study, starting in 2011, we surveyed medical students at Lübeck Medical School, Germany at the beginning of their course of study and after 2, 4, and 6 years ( t0- t3) using standard instruments for empathy (Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Student Version, JSE-S), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), stress (Perceived Medical School Stress scale), and behavior and experience patterns (Arbeitsbezogene Verhaltens- und Erlebensmuster [Work-related Behavior and Experience Patterns]). Results: A total of 43 students completed all surveys. The cross-sectional samples for the different survey time points comprised between n = 220 and 658 students. We observed a slight, but statistically significant, increase of empathy scores from t0 to t3 ( t(43) = −3.09, P < .01). Across all analyses, a preference for a people-oriented specialty was associated with a higher JSE-S sum score, as well as being female, whereas we saw a negative association between HADS depression and JSE-S scores. Conclusion: In our study, empathy scores were shown to be relatively stable during medical education with a tendency to increase. In line with previous research, individuals preferring a people-oriented specialty and women showed higher empathy scores.
Cited by
3 articles.
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