Empathy study Cologne: A cross-sectional analysis exploring empathy in German dental students

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Psychology in Healthcare

Background:

• Empathy is crucial for patient-centered dental care.
• Understanding empathy development in dental students is essential but underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess empathy levels in German dental students.
• To identify factors influencing empathy, including gender, study year, age, and career interests.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 155 dental students at the University of Cologne.
• Empathy measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Professions Students (JSE-HPS).
• Sociodemographic data and career interests were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• German dental students demonstrated high average empathy scores (110.20±11.81).
• Female students exhibited significantly higher empathy than male students (p<0.0001).
• Male students showed a significant decrease in empathy in their final two study years (p=0.005; p=0.004).
• No significant correlation found between empathy and age (p=0.074) or career interests (p=0.593).

Conclusions:

• High empathy levels are present in German dental students, but with notable gender differences.
• A decline in empathy among male students in later study years necessitates targeted interventions.
• Educational strategies should focus on maintaining and enhancing empathy throughout dental training.