Resilience as a predictor of empathetic behaviour in dentistry students
Abstract
Introduction: Empathy is an important attribute in the relationship between the health professional and the patient and is responsible for establishing the intersubjective relationship between them. However, empathy could be modulated by exogenous factors where one of them could be resilience. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that resilience serves as a predictor of empathy. Objective: The aim of the present study is to evaluate whether resilience can predict empathy.
Material and Methods: A non-experimental, cross-sectional study was conducted. The levels of two latent constructs were measured: individual resilience and student-patient empathy. Population: Dentistry students at the Universidad Autónoma de Santa Ana, El Salvador. The sample was chosen based on the voluntary participation of students in this research. The sample is convenience-based. Resilience was considered as the independent variable and empathy as the dependent variable. There is no established theory fully supporting the nature of these variables. A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied to determine the relationship between both variables.
Results: It was found that resilience is capable of predicting empathy. Specifically, the engineering dimension negatively and significantly predicts all dimensions of empathy. The adaptation dimension of resilience negatively and significantly predicts the CC (Compassionate Care) and WIPS (Walking in the Patient's Shoes) dimensions of empathy, and finally, the ecological dimension positively and significantly predicts all dimensions of empathy. The negative and significant predictions are explained based on the students' responses, which may reflect their concept of themselves in relation to resilience.
Conclusions: There is a relationship between resilience and empathy. The findings could constitute empirical elements that could contribute to verifying a working hypothesis consistent with describing resilience as a predictor variable of empathy.
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