Attitudes of students of medicine toward the role of empathy in medical context: Differences by gender and level of medical studies
Abstract
The aim of the study was to (a) examine psychometrics of a Czech version of the JSPE-S with Czech medical students; (b) test differences in empathy scores between men and women and among students in different years of medical school. Subjects and setting.
The sample consisted of the incoming and the first to sixth year students of the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague (N = 895; 321 men, 574 women; average age 23,15; SD = 0,08; range 22 - 25 years). Factor analysis confirmed the three components of perspective taking, compassionate care, and ability to stand in patient's shoes, which had emerged in American and Japanese medical students.
Item-total score correlations were all positive and statistically significant. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was 0,76 both for men and women.
There was statistically significant difference between men and women in item response pattern but the effect size of gender was negligible. The results showed statistically significant decline in mean empathy scores in the third year of medical school which did not change during the fourth and the fifth year.
The patterns of mean empathy scores decline were similar for men and women. Study limita13tion. (a) the study design was cross-sectional; (b) measurement of empathy is self-reported; (c) the attendance, and possibly responses may be influenced by the situations or events during which the data were obtained; (d) lack of experience with patients during the first two years may cast some doubts on validity of responses; (e) the findings are limited to only one medical school; (f) information about student's career specialty intentions, potential confounding variable, was not collected.