scholarly journals A Preliminary Study of Empathy in Romanian College Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-317
Author(s):  
Valentin Lupu
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Self Report ◽  
School Level ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Preliminary Study

KeywordsThe Interpersonal Reactivity Index is a self-report instrument used for assessing empathy. The theoretical model of empathy for IRI assumes that empathy is multidimensional in nature containing affective aspects (Empathic Concern and Personal Distress) and cognitive aspects (Perspective Taking and Fantasy). The objective of this study was to compare the level of empathy in Romanian college students to the level of empathy in American college students and to compare empathy in college students based on gender and field of study. The IRI was administered to a sample of 216 Romanian college students. We were interested only on Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking scales. The results revealed that Empathic Concern in Romanian college students is lower than in American college students, women score higher than men on the two scales used and students studying at humanities colleges have a higher Perspective Taking than students studying at science colleges. Our suggestion as a result of this study is to introduce more classes in the curriculum at the elementary school level to teach children empathy using diverse methods.

Empathic abilities and their mediators in Tunisian psychiatry trainees

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 317-330
Author(s):  
Bochra Nourhene Saguem ◽  
Zeineb Bouzaâbia ◽  
Amel Braham ◽  
Selma Ben Nasr
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to assess empathy dimensions in Tunisian psychiatry trainees and to evaluate their relationship with relevant professional and extra-professional factors. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire survey was administered to the psychiatry trainees affiliated in the four faculties of medicine of Tunisia (n = 120). It comprised, in addition to sociodemographic and professional variables, the interpersonal reactivity index, a multidimensional instrument that evaluates perspective taking, empathic concern, personal distress and fantasy. Other self-report measures were used to assess emotion regulation, social support and self-efficacy. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Findings The response rate was 71%. Descriptive statistics showed that personal distress’ scores were lower than the other empathy dimensions’ scores. Perspective taking scores were negatively correlated with emotion regulation difficulties. Personal distress scores were positively correlated with emotion regulation difficulties. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that being an only child significantly contributed to perspective taking and having an extra-professional activity significantly contributed to less personal distress. Perceived stress, social support and having a master’s degree were significant predictors for empathic concern. Self-efficacy was a significant predictor of perspective taking, with emotion regulation difficulties mediating this relationship. Practical implications Interventions dedicated to improve psychiatry trainees’ empathy should focus not only on clinical practice and medical education but also on emotional support and recovery activities. Originality/value A unique feature of this study is the investigation of the potential impacts of emotion regulation difficulties and perceived self-efficacy on empathic abilities of psychiatry trainees.

scholarly journals Religiosity and Psychotic Ideation in Stable Schizophrenia: A Role for Empathic Perspective-Taking

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Rosó Duñó ◽  
Joan Carles Oliva ◽  
Adolf Tobeña ◽  
Diego Palao ◽  
Javier Labad
Keyword(s):  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Interpersonal Reactivity Index ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between religiosity and different components of empathy was explored in schizophrenia patients. A total of 81 stable schizophrenia patients and 95 controls from the nearby community completed self-reported questionnaires assessing religiosity and empathy (through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, IRI). Patients with schizophrenia showed higher religiousness than controls and they presented less perspective-taking and empathic concern but increased personal distress in IRI scores. Regression analyses unveiled an association between religiosity and perspective-taking in schizophrenics after adjusting for age, gender, and psychotic symptoms. In conclusion, religiosity in patients with schizophrenia may be linked to variations in perspective- taking as a component of empathy.

Parents' Judgments and Students' Self-Judgments of Empathy

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Cliffordson
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Factorial Structure ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Interpersonal Reactivity Index

Summary: A sample of 221 adolescents and their parents were asked to complete the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1980 ), which is comprised of four subscales: empathic concern, perspective taking, fantasy, and personal distress; and a global-item measure containing four items, one for each subscale. The factorial structure that emerged in a previous study ( Cliffordson, 2000 ) involving the students was tested on ratings provided by their parents. The results from the IRI scale were also compared to results from the global-item measure. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the structure of empathy and the agreement of self/other judgments. The results support the conclusions from the previous study that the concept of empathy can be considered to be identical to empathic concern, which also explains a great deal of perspective taking and fantasy. The agreement between the students' and their parents' judgments was substantial, and there are several reasons to believe that the interjudge agreement obtained is accurate.

scholarly journals Understanding the Links between Inferring Mental States, Empathy, and Burnout in Medical Contexts

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Naira Delgado ◽  
Helena Bonache ◽  
Moisés Betancort ◽  
Yurena Morera ◽  
Lasana T. Harris
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Mental State ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Personal Accomplishment ◽  
Personal Distress

It is generally accepted that empathy should be the basis of patient care. However, this ideal may be unrealistic if healthcare professionals suffer adverse effects when engaging in empathy. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of inferring mental states and different components of empathy (perspective-taking; empathic concern; personal distress) in burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion; depersonalization; personal accomplishment). A total of 184 healthcare professionals participated in the study (23% male, Mage = 44.60; SD = 10.46). We measured participants’ empathy, the inference of mental states of patients, and burnout. Correlation analyses showed that inferring mental states was positively associated with perspective-taking and with empathic concern, but uncorrelated with personal distress. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion was related to greater levels of personal distress and greater levels of inferences of mental states. Depersonalization was associated with greater levels of personal distress and lower levels of empathic concern. Personal accomplishment was associated with the inference of mental states in patients, lower levels of personal distress, and perspective-taking. These results provide a better understanding of how different components of empathy and mental state inferences may preserve or promote healthcare professionals’ burnout.

scholarly journals Evaluating empathy in adolescents with conduct disorders

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 429-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Kostic ◽  
Milkica Nesic ◽  
Miodrag Stankovic ◽  
Olivera Zikic ◽  
Jasminka Markovic
Keyword(s):  
Conduct Disorder ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Conduct Disorders ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Affective Empathy

Background/Aim. According to currently available data, there is no research dealing with evaluating empathy in adolescents with conduct disorders in our region. The aim of the research was to examine the differences in the severity of cognitive and affective empathy in adolescents with and with no conduct disorder, as well as to examine the relationship between cognitive and affective empathy and the level of externalization in adolescents with conduct disorder. Methods. This research was conducted on 171 adolescents, aged 15 to 18, using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Youth Self- Report and a Questionnaire constructed for the purpose of this research. Results. The results showed that adolescents with conduct disorder had significantly lower scores for Perspective Taking (t = 3.255, p = 0.001), Fantasy (t = 2.133, p = 0.034) and Empathic Concern (t = 2.479, p = 0.014) compared to the adolescents in the control group, while the values for Personal Distress (t = 1.818, p = 0.071) were higher compared to the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. The study showed a statistically significant negative correlation between Perspective Taking and aggression (r = - 0.318, p = 0.003) and a negative correlation between Perspective Taking and the overall level of externalizing problems (r = -0.310, p = 0.004) in the group of adolescents with conduct disorder. Conclusion. This research contributes to better understanding of behavioral disorders in terms of individual factors, especially empathic reactivity. Preventive work with young people who have behavioral problems associated with empathy deficit disorder proved to be an important tool in preventing the development, or at least relieving the symptoms, of this ever more common disorder.

The Role of Culture in Affective Empathy: Cultural and Bicultural Differences

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 309-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winnie Chung ◽  
Sherilynn Chan ◽  
Tracy G. Cassels
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Health ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Social Emotional

AbstractEmpathy is essential for healthy relationships and overall well-being. Affective empathy is the emotional response to others’ distress and can take two forms: personal distress or empathic concern. In Western cultures, high empathic concern and low personal distress have been implicated in increased prosocial behaviour (e.g., Eisenberg et al., 1989) and better emotion management and peer relations (e.g., Eisenberg and Fabes, 1998). Various factors have been examined with respect to affective empathy, but the role of culture has received little attention. Previous work suggests that children from East Asian cultures compared to those from Western cultures experience greater personal distress and less empathic concern (e.g., Trommsdorff, 1995), but no work has specifically examined these differences in adolescents or individuals who identify as ‘bicultural’. The current research examines cultural differences in affective empathy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980) in an adolescent and young adult sample (n=190) and examines how empathy relates to social-emotional health in bicultural individuals. Consistent with research on children, East Asian adolescents reported greater personal distress and less empathic concern than their Western counterparts. The bicultural individuals’ scores fell in between the East Asian and Western groups, but revealed significant differences from their ‘uni-cultural’ peers, demonstrating shared influences of community and family. Importantly, however, the relationship between affective empathy and social-emotional health in bicultural individuals was the same as for Western individuals. The current results provide an important first step in understanding the different cultural influences on empathic responding in a previously understudied population ‐ bicultural individuals.

scholarly journals Alterations of empathy in mothers with a history of early life maltreatment, depression, and borderline personality disorder and their effects on child psychopathology

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 1182-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Dittrich ◽  
Felix Bermpohl ◽  
Dorothea Kluczniok ◽  
Catherine Hindi Attar ◽  
Charlotte Jaite ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Borderline Personality Disorder ◽  
Personality Disorder ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Child Psychopathology ◽  
Child Behavior Checklist ◽  
Borderline Personality ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Personal Distress

AbstractBackgroundEarly life maltreatment (ELM), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) have been associated with empathy deficits in different domains. Lack of maternal empathy has also been related to child behavioral problems. As ELM, BPD, and MDD often co-occur, we aimed to identify dissociable effects on empathy due to these three factors. In addition, we aimed to investigate their indirect effects via empathy on child psychopathology.MethodsWe included 251 mothers with and without MDD (in remission), BPD and ELM and their children, aged 5–12. We used the Interpersonal Reactivity Index as a measure of empathy on four different dimensions (personal distress, empathic concern, perspective taking, and fantasy) and the Child Behavior Checklist as a measure of child psychopathology.ResultsHaving included all three factors (ELM, MDD, BPD) in one analysis, we found elevated personal distress in MDD and BPD, and lower levels of perspective-taking in BPD, but no effects from ELM on any empathy subscales. Furthermore, we found indirect effects from maternal BPD and MDD on child psychopathology, via maternal personal distress.ConclusionThe present study demonstrated the dissociable effects of maternal ELM, MDD, and BPD on empathy. Elevated personal distress in mothers with BPD and MDD may lead to higher levels of child psychopathology.

scholarly journals Relationships Between Perspective-Taking, Empathic Concern, and Self-rating of Empathy as a Physician Among Medical Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-319
Author(s):  
Jihye Yu ◽  
Sukyung Lee ◽  
Miran Kim ◽  
Kiyoung Lim ◽  
Kihong Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Measurement Instruments ◽  
Korean Student ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Self Rating ◽  
Student Version ◽  
Physician Empathy

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to ascertain the relationships between perspective-taking, empathic concern, and self-rating of empathy as a physician among medical students. Methods This study analyzed the questionnaire responses of 152 medical students enrolled in Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea, in 2018. As measurement instruments, the authors applied the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and Korean Student Version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (Korean JSPE-S), and then examined participant characteristic variables based on the obtained data and conducted subsequent correlation analyses of subscales, one-way ANOVA, and regression analyses. Results Medical students with clinical clerkship experience demonstrated higher levels of perspective-taking and empathy as physicians than did students without experience. Moreover, perspective-taking and empathic concern were significant predictors of medical students’ empathy as physicians in the regression model. Conclusions Medical students with higher scores in perspective-taking and empathic concern demonstrated higher levels of perception regarding the necessity and importance of empathy as a physician in patient-physician relationships. Therefore, in actual medical situations with patient-centered therapy, to enhance the levels of physician empathy, medical education should focus on the understanding of other persons’ opinions and interpersonal interactions accompanied by empathic concern.

scholarly journals T61. FEELINGS OF SHAME AND GUILT IN INDIVIDUALS AT ULTRA-HIGH RISK FOR PSYCHOSIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S254-S255
Author(s):  
Hye Yoon Park ◽  
Eunchong Seo ◽  
Se Jun Koo ◽  
Eun Lee ◽  
Suk Kyoon An
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Ultra High Risk ◽  
Shame And Guilt

Abstract Background Self-conscious emotions, such as shame and guilt, play a key role in one’s thoughts and behaviors. Our study investigated how shame and guilt were different concerning multiple aspects of social cognitive abilities, and we evaluated the self-conscious emotions in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis. Methods Firstly, one hundred and sixty-six healthy youths were assessed for shame and guilt using the test of self-conscious affect, for empathy using interpersonal reactivity index (IRI), and for Theory of Mind (ToM) ability using the ToM picture stories task. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to predict shame and guilt from the social cognitive variables. Secondly, twenty-four UHR and 24 age- and sex-matched normal controls were compared for shame, guilt, empathy, and ToM ability. Results Results in healthy youths, regression analysis with shame revealed that fantasy (t=3.0, p=0.003, β=0.22) and personal distress (t=5.8, p<0.001, β=0.42) of IRI and affective ToM (t=2.0, p=0.044, β=0.14) were significant determinants. In the regression model of guilt, there were independent predictors including perspective taking (t=3.5, p=0.001, β=0.28) and empathic concern (t=2.1, p=0.040, β=0.17) of IRI and cognitive ToM (t=2.1, p=0.037, β=0.15). In UHR individuals, higher levels of shame (t=-2.4, p=0.021), fantasy (t=-2.3, p=0.028), and personal distress (t=-3.4, p=0.001) and lower levels of perspective taking (t=4.0, p<0.001) and cognitive ToM (t=4.2, p<0.001) were observed. Moreover, high levels of shame was correlated with increased personal distress (r=0.78, p<0.001) in UHR for psychosis. Discussion These findings suggest that empathy and ToM ability predict persons’ shame- or guilt-proneness in healthy youths, and heightened personal distress in UHR individuals may possibly influence the level of shame which could lead to socially maladjustment behaviors. Dealing with social cognitive function would be helpful for reparation to UHR individuals.

Seeing and Feeling Your Way to Accurate Personality Judgments

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 806-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas E. Colman ◽  
Tera D. Letzring ◽  
Jeremy C. Biesanz
Keyword(s):  
Personality Trait ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Empathic Concern ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Previous Literature ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
Personality Judgments ◽  
Assumed Similarity ◽  
Trait Judgment

Empathy, the practice of taking and emotionally identifying with another’s point of view, is a skill that likely provides context to another’s behavior. Yet systematic research on its relation with accurate personality trait judgment is sparse. This study investigated this relation between one’s empathic response tendencies (perspective taking, empathic concern, fantasy, and personal distress) and the accuracy with which she or he makes judgments of others. Using four different samples ( N = 1,153), the tendency to perspective take ( ds = .23–.27) and show empathic concern ( ds = .28–.42) were all positively related meta-analytically to distinctive accuracy, normative accuracy, and the assumed similarity of trait judgments. However, the empathic tendencies for fantasy and personal distress showed more complex patterns of relation. These findings are discussed in relation to previous literature, and in particular, why it is reasonable for empathy to be related to the accuracy of trait judgments.

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