Background: Attachment literature recognizes two dimensions of attachment reflecting comfort with closeness and anxiety over relationships (Feeney et al., 1994). Individuals may display high or low comfort and high or low anxiety; hence, these two dimensions define four attachment styles labeled secure, fearful, preoccupied, and dismissing (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Central notion is that empathy is nurtured in the early rearing environment in relation to the quality of the early attachment relationships with a primary caregiver (Henderson, 1974). Summary of Work: The issue investigated in the present study is the relationship between attachment styles and medical empathy. A sample of 286 Italian university students (140 females) is included in the study. All participants completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ; Feeney et al., 1994), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1983) and the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy – Student Version (JSPE-S; Hojat et al., 2002). Summary of Results: Secure and insecure attachment have significant positive and negative correlation with global empathy measures. Regression analysis shows that secure attachment predicts about 15 percent of the variance in empathy variables. Gender effect is evaluated showing moderate effects on some empathy sub-scales Discussion: Attachment style is one of the most important personality dimensions affecting interpersonal sensitivity and must be considered as a key variable in medical education to be adequately addressed for the relation with empathy and empathic behavior Conclusion: Individual with secure attachment style develop a sense of trust with caregivers who respond to them empathically and therefore develop the capacity to respond sensitively and empathically toward others in later care relationships Take Home Messages: The matter is complex and many are the open questions: a) stability of the baseline attachment/empathy profile in the six years; b) possible correlation with students well-being; c) influence on clinical practice (e.g. patient-doctor communication); d) protection against burnout during and after the medical course.

Strepparava, M., Ardenghi, S. (2016). Is adult attachment style associated to empathy? A study on a sample of Italian medical students. In AMEE 2016 Abstract Book (pp.581-581). AMEE.

Is adult attachment style associated to empathy? A study on a sample of Italian medical students

Strepparava, M
;
Ardenghi, S
2016

Abstract

Background: Attachment literature recognizes two dimensions of attachment reflecting comfort with closeness and anxiety over relationships (Feeney et al., 1994). Individuals may display high or low comfort and high or low anxiety; hence, these two dimensions define four attachment styles labeled secure, fearful, preoccupied, and dismissing (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Central notion is that empathy is nurtured in the early rearing environment in relation to the quality of the early attachment relationships with a primary caregiver (Henderson, 1974). Summary of Work: The issue investigated in the present study is the relationship between attachment styles and medical empathy. A sample of 286 Italian university students (140 females) is included in the study. All participants completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ; Feeney et al., 1994), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI; Davis, 1983) and the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy – Student Version (JSPE-S; Hojat et al., 2002). Summary of Results: Secure and insecure attachment have significant positive and negative correlation with global empathy measures. Regression analysis shows that secure attachment predicts about 15 percent of the variance in empathy variables. Gender effect is evaluated showing moderate effects on some empathy sub-scales Discussion: Attachment style is one of the most important personality dimensions affecting interpersonal sensitivity and must be considered as a key variable in medical education to be adequately addressed for the relation with empathy and empathic behavior Conclusion: Individual with secure attachment style develop a sense of trust with caregivers who respond to them empathically and therefore develop the capacity to respond sensitively and empathically toward others in later care relationships Take Home Messages: The matter is complex and many are the open questions: a) stability of the baseline attachment/empathy profile in the six years; b) possible correlation with students well-being; c) influence on clinical practice (e.g. patient-doctor communication); d) protection against burnout during and after the medical course.
abstract + poster
Medical education, Empathy, Attachment styles, Doctor-patient relationship, Clinical psychology, Health psychology
English
AMEE 2016 - International Association for Medical Education Conference
2016
AMEE 2016 Abstract Book
2016
581
581
none
Strepparava, M., Ardenghi, S. (2016). Is adult attachment style associated to empathy? A study on a sample of Italian medical students. In AMEE 2016 Abstract Book (pp.581-581). AMEE.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/224738
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