Abstract
Introduction: The Australian “empathy session,” which is a parenting program aimed at alleviating postpartum depression by increasing empathy among expecting couples, was adapted to a life-planning education program for Japanese high school students. In this present study, we aimed to assess changes in high school students’ empathy levels. Methods: A nonrandomized, controlled, waitlist intervention was performed in 210 first-year students. They were divided into intervention and waitlist control groups. The life-planning lecture consisted of two parts: (1) reproductive health and (2) empathy and communication skills. The main outcome indicator was the Perspective-Taking subscale of an empathy index. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between the intervention and change in the Perspective-Taking scale score controlling for background factors. Results: As per our findings, a significant difference was noted in the scale scores of Perspective-Taking before and after the program within the intervention group (3.76 ± 0.61 before the lecture and 3.86 ± 0.64 after the lecture; P = 0.01). In the between-group analysis, the likelihood of an increase in the scale score of Perspective-Taking was significantly higher in the intervention group (OR = 2.29, 95 % confidence interval = 1.23-4.26). Conclusions: Japanese high school students’ Perspective-Taking improved through learning reproductive life-planning and communication skills.
Highlights
Introduction and Guidelines to Facilitate theDevelopment and Implementation of Life Skills ProgrammesThis document was compiled in 1993 to assist with the further development of life skills education
Psychosocial competence has an important role to play in the promotion of health in its broadest sense; in terms of physical, mental and social well-being
Where health problems are related to behaviour, and where the behaviour is related to an inability to deal effectively with stresses and pressures in life, the enhancement of psychosocial competence could make an important contribution
Summary
Psychosocial competence is a person's ability to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. Interpersonal relationship skills help us to relate in positive ways _with the people we interact with This may mean being able to make and keep friendly relationships, which can be of great importance to our mental and social well-being. If the model above was placed within a larger, more comprehensive framework, there would be many factors that relate to the motivation and ability to behave in positive ways to prevent health problems These factors include such things as social support, cultural and environment factors. There is growing recognition that with changes in many cultures and lifestyles, many young people are not sufficiently equipped with life skills to help them deal with the increased demands and stresses they experience They seem to lack the support required to acquire and reinforce life skills. Well designed, tested and delivered life skills prograi;nmes can achieve much in helping children and adolescents become more responsible, healthy and resilient both during childhood and as adults
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