Relationship between life values empathy and prosocial tendencies of medical students

Abstract

Objective To explore the relationship between life values and prosocial tendencies of medical students and the mediating effect of empathy. Methods From March to June 2018, 528 medical students were selected from five medical colleges including Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Medicine&Health Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Inner Mongolia Medical University. Using the College Students' Life Values Scale, the Adolescent Prosocial Tendency Scale, and the Jefferson's Empathy Scale (JSE) to investigate. And the structural equation model was used to research the mediating effect of empathy on relationship between life values and prosocial tendencies. Results There was a positive correlation between the life values and empathy and it's three dimensions, as well as prosocial tendencies, the correlation coefficient is between 0.19 and 0.55.There was a positive correlation between empathy and perspective taking and prosocial tendencies, the correlation coefficients are 0.32 and 0.61 respectively; While there was no correlation between emotional nursing and transpositional consideration and prosocial tendencies. Path analysis revealed that life values predicted directly prosocial tendencies(β=0.57, P<0.01), and predicted prosocial tendencies through empathy(β=0.17, P <0.01). Conclusions The empathy may be associated with life values and prosocial tendencies and play a partial mediating effect between life values and prosocial tendencies in medical students. Key words: Medical students; Life values; Prosocial tendencies; Empathy