Empathy levels among physical therapists working with injured servicemembers

Empathy is a cognitive and affective construct that involves understanding and feeling someone else's pain and suffering. Empathy is fundamental to effective physical therapy practice, a basis for therapeutic relationships that enhances patient concordance to recovery. Physical therapists working with populations experiencing heightened psychological distress, such as injured servicemembers, may face greater empathetic requirements.

Limited research has examined how physical therapists' empathy levels vary across different patient populations. Therefore, this study aimed to map empathy levels among physical therapists treating injured servicemembers and identify personal and professional characteristics associated with those levels.

This study employed a cross-sectional, anonymous online survey of 85 physical therapists who were actively treating injured servicemembers. Participants were identified through physical therapy social media forums and dedicated groups, and at a professional conference. Empathy levels were assessed using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), a multidimensional tool measuring four subscales: Perspective Taking, Fantasy, Empathic Concern, and Personal Distress. Personal and professional characteristics were assessed using a sociodemographic questionnaire. Associations between empathy subscales and personal and professional characteristics were analyzed.

Physical therapists demonstrated mean Perspective Taking levels of 25.46 ± 1.01, Fantasy levels of 21 ± 1.32, Empathic Concern levels of 26.93 ± 1.02, and Personal Distresslevels of 19.16 ± 1.24. Age approached significance for Empathic Concern (p = .074). Longer clinical experience was significantly associated with higher Empathic Concern (p = .023), and participation in post-degree courses on psychological aspects of physical therapy treatment was significantly associated with lower Personal Distress (p = .003).

This study establishes initial empathy benchmarks for physical therapists treating injured servicemembers. Findings indicate the need for enhanced support for younger physical therapists, aged 20-40, and less experienced physical therapists, with 0-5 years of experience, and emphasize the importance of encouraging participation in courses on psychological aspects of physical therapy treatment to mitigate Personal Distress.