TY - JOUR
T1 - Levels of Empathy in Students and Professors with Patients in a Faculty of Dentistry
AU - Díaz-Narváez, Víctor P.
AU - Huberman-Casas, Joyce
AU - Nakouzi-Momares, Jorge Andrés
AU - Alarcón-Ureta, Chris
AU - Jaramillo-Cavieres, Patricio Alberto
AU - Espinoza-Retamal, Maricarmen
AU - Klahn-Acuña, Blanca Patricia
AU - Epuyao-González, Leonardo
AU - Leiton Carvajal, Gabriela
AU - Padilla, Mariela
AU - Vilca, Lindsay W.
AU - Reyes-Reyes, Alejandro
AU - Reyes-Reyes, Fernando
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Background: Empathy is an attribute that plays an essential role in the dentist–patient therapeutic relationship, clinical care, and treatment adherence, along with providing other benefits. The main objective of this research was to establish the validity, reliability, and invariance of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and then characterize the empathy levels of students and teachers at a dental school. Materials and Methods: An observational and cross-sectional study analyzed a sample of undergraduate students and professors from the Universidad Andrés Bello Faculty of Dentistry (Chile) (n = 1727 and n = 267, respectively). The Empathy Scale for Health Professionals (HP) and the same scale for students (HPS) were applied. Results: The Jefferson Empathy Scale presents adequate psychometric properties. The empathy measure has adequate reliability and construct validity, confirming a fit of the three-factor empathy model to the data. The measurement is invariant within the university campus, the sex of the student, and between teacher and student. Teachers present greater empathy than students except in the Perspective Adoption dimension. Conclusions: The Jefferson Empathy Scale is reliable, valid, and invariant among Chilean dental students and professors. Students do not differ from their professors in the cognitive component of empathy, but they present a lower score in the affective component and global empathy. It is inferred that students can develop the affective component of empathy in their interactions with their professors, increasing their overall empathy. Understanding and fostering empathy in dental students and professors can significantly improve patient care and treatment adherence and increase patient and dentist satisfaction.
AB - Background: Empathy is an attribute that plays an essential role in the dentist–patient therapeutic relationship, clinical care, and treatment adherence, along with providing other benefits. The main objective of this research was to establish the validity, reliability, and invariance of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and then characterize the empathy levels of students and teachers at a dental school. Materials and Methods: An observational and cross-sectional study analyzed a sample of undergraduate students and professors from the Universidad Andrés Bello Faculty of Dentistry (Chile) (n = 1727 and n = 267, respectively). The Empathy Scale for Health Professionals (HP) and the same scale for students (HPS) were applied. Results: The Jefferson Empathy Scale presents adequate psychometric properties. The empathy measure has adequate reliability and construct validity, confirming a fit of the three-factor empathy model to the data. The measurement is invariant within the university campus, the sex of the student, and between teacher and student. Teachers present greater empathy than students except in the Perspective Adoption dimension. Conclusions: The Jefferson Empathy Scale is reliable, valid, and invariant among Chilean dental students and professors. Students do not differ from their professors in the cognitive component of empathy, but they present a lower score in the affective component and global empathy. It is inferred that students can develop the affective component of empathy in their interactions with their professors, increasing their overall empathy. Understanding and fostering empathy in dental students and professors can significantly improve patient care and treatment adherence and increase patient and dentist satisfaction.
KW - dentistry
KW - education
KW - empathy
KW - professor
KW - undergraduate
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205252448&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/bs14090817
DO - 10.3390/bs14090817
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85205252448
SN - 2076-328X
VL - 14
JO - Behavioral Sciences
JF - Behavioral Sciences
IS - 9
M1 - 817
ER -