Latent profile analysis of empathy for pain and its associations with coping styles among nurses in China

This study sought to evaluate the prevalence of empathy for pain among nurses in Chinese hospitals through latent profile analysis, identify latent subgroups and their demographic characteristics and examine the relationship between different subgroups and coping styles.

A multicentre cross-sectional study.

The study was conducted in 43 hospitals across Guangdong Province, China, comprising 36 general medical hospitals and 7 specialty hospitals.

This study recruited 1656 registered nurses with over 1 year of clinical experience from 43 hospitals in Guangdong Province, China, using a convenience sampling method between June and September 2023. A total of 1601 valid questionnaires were returned, with a response rate of 96.68%.

Data were collected through online questionnaires using the General Information Questionnaire, the Chinese Version of the Empathy for Pain Scale and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire. Latent profile analysis was applied to assess the characteristics of nurses' empathy for pain, while logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors influencing the different empathy for pain profiles.

The mean empathy for pain score among the 1601 clinical nurses was 2.92±0.79. Nurses' empathy for pain was categorised into three latent profiles: low empathy sensitivity (33.9%), balanced response (48%) and empathy contradiction (18.1%). Univariate analysis demonstrated significant variations in the distribution of nurses across different profiles concerning age, marital status, childbearing status, perceived pain tolerance, job satisfaction, participation in pain-related knowledge training, designation as a pain resource nurse and coping styles scores. Logistic regression analysis identified perceived pain tolerance, job satisfaction and coping styles as significant determinants of nurses' latent empathy for pain profiles (p<0.05).

Nurses' empathy for pain characteristics exhibits heterogeneity and can be categorised into three latent profiles. Nursing managers should implement targeted interventions tailored to each profile, focusing on the key determinants such as perceived pain tolerance, job satisfaction and coping styles. These interventions can enhance nurses' empathy for pain, promote the adoption of positive coping styles and ultimately improve clinical pain management and overall nursing care quality.