Impact of Subdomains of Affective and Cognitive Empathy on Burnout Syndrome in Nurses: A Meta-Analysis

To investigate the association between empathy and the subdomains of affective and cognitive empathy and burnout syndrome in nurses from any health field.

Empathy is an ability composed of affective and cognitive domains that have been widely studied in healthcare providers. Affective and cognitive empathy have subdomains, and the associations with burnout syndrome are under-investigated. Burnout syndrome is an occupational disease that often affects nurses.

A meta-analysis was conducted guided by the PRISMA Statement checklist and was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42024600740). Twenty-nine studies met the eligibility criteria.

A negative correlation was found between global empathy and burnout syndrome. When considering the subdomains of affective empathy, no statistically significant correlation was found with empathic concern, whereas a moderate positive correlation was found between personal distress and burnout syndrome. Considering the subdomains of cognitive empathy, a weak negative correlation was found between perspective taking and burnout syndrome, whereas a weak positive correlation with fantasy was found.

The subdomains of empathy are distinctly related to burnout syndrome in nurses. Perspective taking served as a protective factor for the mental health of these health professionals.

Global empathy was negatively associated with burnout syndrome, while its subdomains showed distinct and sometimes opposing associations. When considering the subdomains of affective and cognitive empathy, distinct interactions were identified. Personal distress and fantasy were positively correlated with burnout syndrome, whereas perspective taking was negatively correlated.

Understanding the impact of empathy subdomains can assist in the planning of interventions aimed at optimizing empathic functioning while minimizing risks to nurses' mental health.