EMPATHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF MEDICAL STUDENTS AS A BASIS FOR EFFECTIVE INTERACTION AND SUPPORT OF PATIENT AUTONOMY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/1681-2786.2025.4.15893Keywords:
health system responsiveness; person-centredness; autonomy; empathy; students, higher education.Abstract
Purpose: to analyse the empathic characteristics of medical students as psychosocial prerequisites for effective interaction with patients and for supporting their autonomy within a responsive healthcare system. Materials and Methods. A survey and psychodiagnostic assessment were conducted among 314 third- to sixthyear medical students of Dnipro State Medical University (2022 – 2025). The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (M. Davis) with four subscales – perspective taking (PT), fantasy (FS), empathic concern (EC), and personal distress (PD) – was used. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical methods in R Commander (version 4.2.1 – https://www.R-project.org). Results. Students demonstrated a relatively balanced empathy profile with a moderate predominance of cognitive components (p < 0.001). The highest median scores were observed for Fantasy (FS) – 17.0 (15.0; 19.0) and Empathic Concern (EC) – 16.0 (13.0; 18.0). Compared with 2019 data, all empathy indicators significantly decreased (p < 0.001), particularly Perspective Taking (PT) and Fantasy (FS), likely reflecting the impact of the pandemic and the war. Female students showed a higher overall empathy level – 19.6 (17.8; 21.0) versus 18.2 (16.6; 20.1) in males (p = 0.001), mainly due to EC and PD. The proportion of students scoring above average was: FS – 74.2%, PT – 64.6%, EC – 62.1%, PD – 57.0%. Low PD values in males (36.1%) may indicate reduced emotional reactivity. No differences in empathy by age, specialty, year of study, or academic performance were found (p > 0.05). Conclusions. The empathy profile of students, characterized by the dominance of cognitive mechanisms and high levels of empathic concern, forms a psychosocial potential for effective patient interaction, support of patient autonomy, and enhancement of health-system responsiveness.
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