ArticlePloS one2019
Medical students' empathy and attitudes towards professionalism: Relationship with personality, specialty preference and medical programme.
Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed.
- A scoping review on the use of virtual patients for enhancing empathy in medical students.Medical education online · 2026Article
- Empathy as an Essential Skill of Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare: A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Current status and influencing factors of empathy and moral decision-making among Chinese clinical intern nurses - a cross-sectional study.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Examining the empathy levels of medical students using CHAID analysis.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Unveiling empathy determinants across borders: a comparative analysis of medical students from two geo-sociocultural backgrounds.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Using virtual patients to enhance empathy in medical students: a scoping review protocol.Systematic reviews · 2025Article
- Increase in self-reported empathy during medical school training: A longitudinal study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Professionalism and professional identity in medical students: a cross-sectional mixed-methods analysis of correlation and progression.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Personality and interest in general practice: results from an online survey among medical students.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Exploring Personality Traits, Values, and Attitudes toward Professionalism: Implications for the Promotion of Mental Health and Functioning in Medical Students.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The impact of empathy on medical students: an integrative review.BMC medical education · 2024Review
- The Greek Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Medical Student Version (JSE-S): Psychometric Properties and Its Associated Factors.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Association of Personality Traits with Life and Work of Medical Students: An Integrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Article
- Medical Students' Perspectives on the Factors Affecting Empathy Development During Their Undergraduate Training.Medical science educator · 2022Article
- Machiavellian Medical Students Report More Academic Misconduct: A Cocktail Fuelled by Psychological and Contextual Factors.Psychology research and behavior management · 2022Article
- A Holistic Approach of Personality Traits in Medical Students: An Integrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Article
- Survey of doctors' perception of professional values.PloS one · 2020Article
- Family Loneliness: Its Effects in the Development of Empathy, Teamwork and Lifelong Learning Abilities in Medical Students.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExisting research has suggested that self-reported empathy in medical students is moderated by personality traits and diverse demographic and educational factors including age, gender, nationality, career aspirations, as well as year of curriculum. It is unclear how empathy, personality, and background factors might impact on students' attitudes towards professionalism in medicine.
methodsA cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in first and final year medical students at an Irish medical school. The following instruments were administered: (a) Jefferson Scale of Empathy; (b) NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI-3); (c) Attitudes towards Professionalism Scale. Demographic and educational variables were also measured. Descriptive and correlational analysis was conducted to examine the association between empathy, personality, professionalism-related attitudes and additional measures. Regression analysis was used to examine determinants of attitudes towards professional behaviour.
resultsBoth selected NEO-FFI personality traits and empathy were independently associated with distinct categories of professional behaviour. Specifically, Openness to Experience was associated with higher empathy scores, and higher 'Social responsibility'. Extraversion was linked with higher scores on the "Personal characteristics" and "Interactions with team" categories, while Conscientiousness was also positively associated with "Personal characteristics". In agreement with previous studies, the personality traits most associated empathy were Agreeableness and Openness to Experience. Empathy did not vary according to programme year or career specialty preference.
conclusionsThis study is the first to show that empathy and personality factors may act as determinants of students' attitudes towards medical professionalism in a manner which is dependent upon category of professional behaviour.
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