Association between emotional intelligence and empathy among medical students: a single center cross-sectional study, Brazil, 2019

Abstract: Introduction: Emotional intelligence (EI) and empathy are two essential skills for person-centered Medicine. Objectives: To evaluate the association between EI and empathy and to assess whether sociodemographic factors and year at the medical school influence the level of EI and empathy. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out in medical students from a private educational institution in the city of São João del-Rei, Minas Gerais, Brazil. EI levels were assessed using the Schutte Self-report Emotional Intelligence Test and empathy levels were assessed using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (student version). All volunteers signed the Informed Consent Form before inclusion in the study. The statistical analysis used mean values, standard deviation, frequency distribution, Student’s t test, Pearson’s correlation, and linear regression. A significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results: From August 5 to 30, 2019, 193 volunteers, corresponding to 85.8% of the total population, agreed to participate in the study. The total EI (129.8 ± 13.3) and empathy (121.2 ± 11.6) observed scores were high. EI scores were influenced only by age (padjusted = 0.018). Students attending more advanced semesters had higher total empathy scores (padjusted = 0.013). Students whose parents did not have a higher education degree also had a higher total empathy score (padjusted = 0.031). A moderate positive correlation was observed between the total EI and empathy scores ( ρ =0.304, p<0.001) and between the total empathy score and the EI domain Managing Others’ Emotions ( ρ =0.300, p<0.001). A weak positive correlation was also observed between the total EI score and most of the empathy domains. Conclusion: A positive correlation between emotional intelligence and empathy was observed. The age influenced EI and the year of medical school and parental schooling influenced empathy.

摘要：
引言：情绪智力（Emotional Intelligence, EI）与共情是以人为中心医学必不可少的两项核心技能。
研究目的：评估情绪智力与共情之间的关联，并探究社会人口学因素及医学院校就读学年是否会对情绪智力与共情水平产生影响。
研究方法：本研究为横断面研究，研究对象为巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州圣若昂-杜雷伊市一所私立教育机构的医学生。采用舒特自我报告情绪智力量表（Schutte Self-report Emotional Intelligence Test）评估情绪智力水平，采用杰弗逊共情量表（学生版）（Jefferson Scale of Empathy, student version）评估共情水平。所有受试者在纳入研究前均签署了知情同意书。统计学分析采用均值、标准差、频数分布、Student t检验、Pearson相关分析及线性回归模型，检验水准设定为0.05。
研究结果：2019年8月5日至30日期间，共计193名志愿者同意参与本研究，占总研究人群的85.8%。观测得到的情绪智力总分与共情总分分别为129.8±13.3和121.2±11.6，均处于较高水平。情绪智力得分仅受年龄影响（校正后P=0.018）。就读学年更高的医学生共情总分更高（校正后P=0.013）。父母未接受高等教育的医学生，其共情总分同样更高（校正后P=0.031）。情绪智力总分与共情总分之间存在中等程度正相关（ρ=0.304，P<0.001）；共情总分与情绪智力维度“管理他人情绪”（Managing Others’ Emotions）之间同样存在中等程度正相关（ρ=0.300，P<0.001）。情绪智力总分与多数共情维度之间均存在弱正相关。
结论：本研究发现情绪智力与共情之间存在正相关关系；年龄会影响情绪智力水平，而医学院校就读学年及父母受教育程度会影响共情水平。