Comparing Narrative and Visual Arts for Empathy Enhancement in Nursing Postgraduate Education: A Mixed Method Study

Traditional empathy teaching methods fall short in addressing the heightened empathy demands of in-service postgraduate nurses. Art-based approaches offer potential solutions.

We adopted a mixed method study with a quasi-experimental design. Two groups of in-service postgraduate nurses participated in narrative (n = 14) and visual (n = 13) arts interventions. Participants underwent four 45-minute sessions, including theory lectures and art-based interventions. Pre- and postcourse questionnaires assessed empathy and psychological capital.

The narrative arts group showed increased resilience (t = -2.775, p = .016) and secondary traumatic stress (t = -2.320, p = .037) postcourse. The visual arts group showed enhanced compassion satisfaction (t = -3.431, p = .005). Qualitative analysis identified two themes: empathy among participants and the benefits and challenges of the curriculum.

Incorporating both narrative and visual arts into nursing education could enhance empathy and well-being. Narrative arts enhanced resilience but increased secondary traumatic stress. Visual arts improved compassion satisfaction and offered a calming experience. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2025;56(2):78-84.].