Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 20, 2026
Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
The effect of a digital storytelling workshop intervention on empathy and attitudes toward people with disabilities
Senem Duman1, Tulay Basak1, Gul Sahin Karaduman1
1University of Health Sciences Gulhane Faculty of Nursing, Etlik, Ankara, 06010, Türkiye.
Aim:
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a digital storytelling workshop intervention on nursing students' empathy levels and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities.
Background:
Empathy and positive attitudes toward individuals with disabilities are essential in nursing care. Digital storytelling may enhance understanding and perspective-taking; however, its effectiveness in nursing education remains insufficiently explored.
Design:
A parallel-group, pretest-posttest randomized controlled trial.
Methods:
This study was conducted with 83 third-year nursing students.Following a four-hour theoretical disability awareness training, participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group additionally participated in a two-week digital storytelling workshop where students created digital stories focused on the experiences of individuals with disabilities. Data were collected using the Jefferson Empathy Scale and the Disability Attitudes in Health Care Scale before and after the intervention.
Results:
No statistically significant differences were found between the intervention and control groups in total empathy scores or attitudes toward individuals with disabilities after the intervention. Similarly, no significant within-group changes were identified in overall scale scores. However, the intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in the compassionate care dimension of empathy following the digital storytelling workshop.
Conclusion:
Digital storytelling workshops may contribute to the emotional dimension of empathy among nursing students, particularly compassionate care. Student-generated digital stories may serve as an innovative educational strategy to support disability awareness and empathic understanding in nursing education.
