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Developing empathy in nursing students: a cohort longitudinal study

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  • Laura Cunico
  • Riccardo Sartori
  • Oliva Marognolli
  • Anna M Meneghini

Abstract

Aims and objectives. To determine whether a specific training course will enhance empathic skills in student nurses during a 3‐year degree course. The study considers levels of empathy in student nurses and assesses whether these can be increased. Background. Empathy is accepted as a critical component of supportive relationships. Many scholars have argued that empathy provides health professionals with the capacity to improve the health of patients, so it should ideally be taught to make health professionals more responsive to patient needs. Design. Cohort longitudinal study. Methods. Data were collected using the Italian version of the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES). The study was designed to guarantee repeated measurements of levels of emotional empathy in the pre‐ and postintervention phases. This allowed us to evaluate the development and improvement of empathy and to measure the effects of extra training on the students’ empathy skills. Two groups took part in the study: the Intervention and the Control Groups. Students in the Intervention Group attended additional seminars and laboratories in small groups with tutors to learn and develop communicative and empathic abilities. Results. One hundred and three participants (76% women) completed the study. Data showed that the training course was effective, especially for women: BEES scores 31·60 at pre‐intervention phase and 42·91 at the end of the academic course. Results regarding men were less clear, and the study discusses these unexpected, anomalous findings. Conclusion. According to literature, men and women have different empathic traits, and we found that they show disparate empathic tendencies. More women than men took advantage of the training course. In any case, our data show that specific training courses are effective. Relevance to clinical practice. As our study shows, empathy is a skill that may be taught. So it would be advisable to introduce these into the traditional nursing curriculum.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Cunico & Riccardo Sartori & Oliva Marognolli & Anna M Meneghini, 2012. "Developing empathy in nursing students: a cohort longitudinal study," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(13-14), pages 2016-2025, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jocnur:v:21:y:2012:i:13-14:p:2016-2025
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2012.04105.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Yu Zhu & Yu‐can Zhan & Ji‐Min Zhu & Li Huang & Ling Zhang & Miao Zhang & Bai‐Kun Li, 2019. "The development and psychometric validation of a Chinese empathy motivation scale," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(13-14), pages 2599-2612, July.
    2. Vanesa Gutiérrez-Puertas & Lorena Gutiérrez-Puertas & Gabriel Aguilera-Manrique & Mᵃ Carmen Rodríguez-García & Verónica V. Márquez-Hernández, 2021. "Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Smartphone Use in the Clinical Care and Safety of Hospitalised Patients," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-12, February.
    3. Rocío Martín-Valero & José-Manuel Pastora-Bernal & Lucía Ortiz-Ortigosa & María Jesús Casuso-Holgado & Veronica Pérez-Cabezas & Gema Teresa Ruiz-Párraga, 2021. "The Usefulness of a Massive Open Online Course about Postural and Technological Adaptations to Enhance Academic Performance and Empathy in Health Sciences Undergraduates," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-11, October.
    4. Marina Carvalho & Cátia Branquinho & Catarina Noronha & Barbara Moraes & Nuno Rodrigues & Margarida Gaspar Matos, 2024. "Individual and Sociodemographic Factors Associated to Prosocial Behaviors and Academic Performance in Portuguese Preschool and Elementary School Children: Highlights from a National Study After COVID-," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 17(1), pages 289-307, February.
    5. Teresa E. Stone & Lyn Francis & Pamela van der Riet & Saowapa Dedkhard & Piyatida Junlapeeya & Edith Orwat, 2014. "Awakening to the other: Reflections on developing intercultural competence through an undergraduate study tour," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(4), pages 521-527, December.
    6. Andrew Sommerlad & Jonathan Huntley & Gill Livingston & Katherine P Rankin & Daisy Fancourt, 2021. "Empathy and its associations with age and sociodemographic characteristics in a large UK population sample," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-17, September.
    7. Tracy Levett‐Jones & Robyn Cant, 2020. "The empathy continuum: An evidenced‐based teaching model derived from an integrative review of contemporary nursing literature," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(7-8), pages 1026-1040, April.
    8. Cristina Petrucci & Elona Gaxhja & Carmen La Cerra & Valeria Caponnetto & Vittorio Masotta & Angelo Dante & Loreto Lancia, 2021. "Empathy Levels in Albanian Health Professional Students: An Explorative Analysis Using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, July.

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