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Psychological Predictors of Medical Students' Involvement in Pro Bono
Joshua Braverman1, Mark Snyder1
1Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Medical students’ identity and expectations regarding pro bono service strongly predict their intention to participate. Focusing on these factors can increase medical pro bono engagement through targeted interventions and educational changes.
Area of Science:
- Medical education
- Psychology
- Public health
Background:
- Medical pro bono, providing free or low-cost healthcare, addresses unmet needs.
- Previous research on pro bono participation lacks theoretical grounding.
- Understanding predictors of medical student engagement in pro bono is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify predictors of medical students' intentions to engage in medical pro bono.
- To examine the roles of demographics, volunteerism, personality, and identity in pro bono intentions.
- To apply psychological theories to understand pro bono participation.
Main Methods:
- A web-based survey was administered to 278 medical students across 15 US institutions.
- Measures included pro bono identity/expectations, intentions, prosocial personality, volunteer motivation, and demographics.
- Linear regression analyses predicted intentions for medical school and post-medical school pro bono activities.
Main Results:
- Medical students' identity and expectations related to pro bono were the strongest predictors of engagement intentions.
- Higher pro bono identity and perceived expectations correlated with greater intentions to participate.
- Volunteer motivation, personality traits, and demographic variables showed weaker predictive power.
Conclusions:
- Interventions should leverage identity and expectations to increase medical pro bono participation.
- Medical education can promote pro bono by integrating it into curricula and extracurricular activities.
- Institutionalizing medical pro bono can enhance its accessibility and impact.
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