Personal Distress Research Articles

Striving to contribute to the greater good: Changes in self‐transcendent versus self‐enhancement career strivings during a global pandemic

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic, as a major crisis event, could have changed people's career goals. We examined change trajectories in self‐transcendent versus self‐enhancement career strivings during the COVID‐19 pandemic among 662 employees from Germany with eight measurement waves across 7 months. Building on event systems theory and the literature on prosocial motivation and altruism, we examined whether affective and cognitive self‐focused and other‐focused reactions to the pandemic (i.e., personal distress, empathic concern, and perceived responsibility) predicted differences in changes in career strivings. Analyses with growth curve mixture modelling suggest three distinct groups in terms of stable (N = 537), declining (N = 12), and increasing (N = 113) self‐transcendent versus self‐enhancement career strivings. Controlling various individual and contextual factors, membership in the increasing group was predicted by more empathic concern for people negatively affected by the COVID crisis. In addition, less dispositional self‐concern, more other‐concern, less job insecurity, experiencing job loss and less career impact of the pandemic predicted an increasing self‐transcendent versus self‐enhancement career strivings trajectory compared to other trajectories. The results imply that career strivings can change during major crisis events, predicted by empathic reactions to the effects of the crisis and personal dispositions and contextual factors.

Multidimensional Study of the Attitude towards Euthanasia of Older Adults with Mixed Anxiety-Depressive Disorder.

This study aims to verify if older adults with mixed anxiety-depressive disorder are more prone to euthanasia and identify factors that interfere with their satisfaction with health and capacity for well-informed decisions. The study applied a paper questionnaire composed of a sociodemographic section and a battery of scales (to assess depression, anxiety, cognitive performance, suicide risk, therapeutic adhesion, functionality, loneliness, attitude towards euthanasia, decision pattern, personality, empathy, and health status) in the Psychogeriatric Unity of Senhora da Oliveira Hospital in Portugal. The sample was collected by convenience to include patients and controls of the same age. Six months later, a reassessment was performed. Patients and controls were compared using descriptive statistics and a multiple-regression model. A total of 114 patients and 25 controls were included. Eighty-one point six percent of patients had four or fewer years of schooling. Contrary to controls, they presented mild depressive and anxiety symptoms, loneliness feelings, worse cognitive performance, a more fragile personality, higher personal distress, and a poorer health state. No statistically significant differences were found between controls and patients regarding their attitudes towards euthanasia. Patients more favourable to euthanasia had higher empathic concern, conscientiousness, and fantasy, and lower personal distress. When addressing euthanasia in these patients, it is crucial to ensure they are fully self-determinate and that all the necessary treatment and support are available. It may not be the case when the educational level is low and a mild disease persists, significantly affecting their well-being and cognitive performance.

WORKING CAPACITY FOR PERSONS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are prevalent globally and result in substantial personal distress and significant social expenses for businesses and society. The ageing population and labor shortages exacerbate these effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of MDS on employment absenteeism and presenteeism. Two instruments, the EQ-5D and the iPCQ, were used to quantitatively survey the Latvian population. 949 respondents of working age were surveyed. From this group, 553 respondents with MSD were selected, averaging 47 years old, 50.6% of whom were men. The results showed that 7.23% experienced absenteeism in the last month. Additionally, 45.9% reported discomfort at work due to MSDs. The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire revealed a decline in health-related quality of life with increasing age, highlighting the significance of addressing the aging workforce and promoting health preservation. 38.3% of respondents with MSDs received rehabilitation interventions, which showed a moderate association with health-related quality of life. The study showed that there is a negative correlation between health-related quality of life and productivity loss. This highlights the importance of comprehensive interventions that address both the physical and psychological aspects of MSDs. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, employers, and healthcare professionals to design targeted interventions that improve the health and productivity of individuals with MSDs.

Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, decreases willingness to harm others by promoting moral emotions of guilt and shame

Prosocial and moral behaviors have overlapping neural systems and can both be affected in a number of psychiatric disorders, although whether they involve similar neurochemical systems is unclear. In the current registered randomized placebo-controlled trial on 180 adult male and female subjects, we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin, which play key roles in influencing social behavior, on moral emotion ratings for situations involving harming others and on judgments of moral dilemmas where others are harmed for a greater good. Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, enhanced feelings of guilt and shame for intentional but not accidental harm and reduced endorsement of intentionally harming others to achieve a greater good. Neither peptide influenced arousal ratings for the scenarios. Effects of oxytocin on guilt and shame were strongest in individuals scoring lower on the personal distress subscale of trait empathy. Overall, findings demonstrate for the first time that oxytocin, but not vasopressin, promotes enhanced feelings of guilt and shame and unwillingness to harm others irrespective of the consequences. This may reflect associations between oxytocin and empathy and vasopressin with aggression and suggests that oxytocin may have greater therapeutic potential for disorders with atypical social and moral behavior.

Empathy and Coping Strategies Predict Quality of Life in Japanese Healthcare Professionals.

Burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS), also referred to as compassion fatigue, are undeniable negative consequences experienced by healthcare professionals when working with patients. As frontline healthcare professionals are essential to communities, it is crucial to understand their mental health and how they cope with negative psychological responses. This study investigated the relationships between burnout, STS, compassion satisfaction, dispositional empathy, and stress management among Japanese healthcare professionals and students taking care of patients in clinical practice. The participants were 506 Japanese healthcare professionals and students (doctors, nurses, medical students, and nursing students) affiliated with Japanese Ministry of Defense Hospitals. The data were collected from March 2020 to May 2021. We assessed burnout, STS, and compassion satisfaction using the Professional Quality of Life Scale, dispositional empathy using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and coping with stress using the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE). Exploratory factor analysis of the Brief-COPE yielded three factors: active coping; support-seeking; and indirect coping. Personal distress, a self-oriented emotional empathy index, was related to higher burnout and STS scores and lower compassion satisfaction. Empathic concern, an other-oriented emotional empathy index, was associated with lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction. Active coping strategies were associated with lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction, whereas indirect coping strategies were associated with higher burnout and STS scores. In a comparison of empathy in professional categories, nurses presented higher personal distress than nursing students, and medical doctors showed lower fantasy tendencies than medical students. These results imply the complex relationships between empathy, coping strategies, and psychological responses among healthcare professionals. Further longitudinal study is needed to explore these complex relationships and to develop more precise and effective psycho-educational interventions to prevent burnout and STS.

"You really are an empathic type" - Types in empathy research

In this study, we used a configuration frequency analysis (CFA) to find out whether there are certain combinations of characteristics that can be used to define prototypical empathy types. Using a sample of 9,407 participants aged between 10 and 80 years, we were able to find four clearly separated and exhaustive empathy profiles which include all relevant aspects of emotional concern, perspective taking and personal distress and at the same time can be clearly defined in relation to each other. The superordinate patterns "situation-dependent altruists (A)", "high functioning empathy (B)", "low neurotic empathy (C)" and "low empathy (D)" were identified. With these four types, a total of almost 75% of the test subjects can be assigned to the significant empathy profiles, whereby only in profile A there were significantly more female participants than in the other three. For the first time, we were able to create a comprehensive and selective typology for the construct of empathy, with the help of which, for example, the holistic success of empathy training or the motivations of altruistic actions can be better described.

Does Medical Curriculum Impact on Empathy? A Longitudinal Study in a Sample of Undergraduate Medical Students

Empathy in medical students is receiving increasing attention as it is fundamental to build and develop a functional patient-physician relationship. When looking at its determinants, demographic and academic factors seem to concur in shaping empathy in this population. Although data show strong gender differences and changes in empathy throughout medical school, it is not clear the direction of these changes and whether gender and curriculum features modulate them. This longitudinal study examined changes in empathy and explored gender differences throughout the medical school. Four consecutive cohorts of Italian medical students (N = 336) completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy – Student (JSE-S) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) in their second year of study (before any clinical clerkship and communication skills courses) and fifth year of study (after a 2-year clinical clerkship and communication skills courses). Analysis of variance for repeated-measures revealed that, beyond the effect of gender, JSE-S total score and IRI Perspective Taking increased, whereas IRI Personal Distress and IRI Fantasy significantly decreased throughout medical school. No significant change in IRI Empathic Concern emerged over time. Student’s t-tests showed that female students displayed significantly higher mean scores than their male counterparts for all empathy measures in both their second and fifth years of medical training. The findings suggest that the medical curriculum affects self-reported empathy dimensions among undergraduate medical students. Further research is needed to deepen the understanding of the educational factors that promote the changes in empathy levels during medical training.

Exploring the Impact of CHATBOT AI on Empathic Responses and Emotional Intelligence: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) CHATBOTS on users' empathic abilities and emotional intelligence (EI). The study includes a comparative analysis of people who use and don't use AI CHATBOTS for emotional support. The objectives included assessing how the effect of AI CHATBOTS on empathy affects users' empathic responses, investigating changes in emotional intelligence associated with the use of AI CHATBOTS, and identifying factors contributing to the effectiveness of AI CHATBOTS in improving empathy ability. The method involved a comparative study of 140 participants between the ages of 18 and 25, divided into users and non-users of an AI CHATBOT aimed at providing emotional support. Data collection included self-report surveys measuring CHATBOT usage, Interpersonal Reactivity index (IRI), and emotional intelligence (EI). Statistical analysis reveals significant differences in scores for perspective taking, fantasy, and personal distress between users and non-users of AI CHATBOTS, suggesting that technology-mediated empathy may be associated with specific aspects of empathic responses. Qualitative analysis of participants' responses reveals different experiences and perceptions related to the use of AI CHATBOTS, such as emotional and academic support and platform choice (e.g., CHATGPT, SNAPCHAT). The findings provide valuable insight into the complex relationship between technology-mediated empathy and human emotional responses. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of considering the role of technology in shaping human interactions and emotional experiences. This result suggests that exposure to AI CHATBOTS may influence empathic responses and aspects of emotional intelligence. However, further research is recommended to explore the underlying mechanisms and ethical considerations related to AI-mediated empathy.

The Effect of Affective Empathy on Prosocial Behavior among College Students

Affective empathy is the response and feeling to others’ emotions, it includes empathic concern and personal distress. In the real situation, empathy always occurs under certain specific circumstances and can develop into an individual’s prosocial behavior. In this experiment, the relationship between the empathy state and prosocial behavior of college students was discussed using specific emotional materials. Batson’s Empathy Adjective Scale and the revised Prosocial Behavior Scale were used. The results show that viewing specific emotional materials can stimulate different levels of emotional empathy. In a state of high emotional empathy, people have higher levels of prosocial behavior. Different emotional empathy states can only have a significant impact on some dimensions of prosocial behavior, including three dimensions of openness, compliance, and emotion. However, the three dimensions of anonymity, altruism, and urgency do not have a significant impact.

Implications of perceived empathy from spouses during pregnancy for health-related quality of life among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study in Anhui, China

BackgroundEmpathy is a critical component of nursing care, impacting both nurses’ and patients’ outcomes. However, perceived empathy from spouses during pregnancy and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are unclear. This study aimed to examine pregnant women’s perceived empathy from their spouses and assess the relation of perceived empathy on HRQoL.MethodsThis cross-sectional study, performed in the obstetric clinics or wards of four well-known hospitals in Anhui Province, China, included 349 pregnant women in the second or third trimester; participants were recruited by convenience sampling and enrolled from October to December 2021. A general information questionnaire, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), a purpose-designed empathy questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) were used to evaluate the pregnant women’s general information, perceptions of empathy and HRQoL. Data were analysed using SPSS 22 at a threshold of P < 0.05. Descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, Student’s t test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis were used for analysis.ResultsThe pregnant women’s total empathy, physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were 41.6 ± 9.0, 41.6 ± 7.6, and 47.7 ± 9.1, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed that the purpose-designed empathy questionnaire items were significantly positively correlated with perspective taking and empathic concern but were not correlated with the personal distress dimension and were only partially correlated with the fantasy dimension. Maternal physical condition during pregnancy, planned pregnancy, and occupational stress were predictors of the PCS score (β = 0.281, P < 0.01; β = 0.132, P = 0.02; β = -0.128, P = 0.02). The behavioural empathy item of our purpose-designed empathy questionnaire and empathic concern were important predictors of the MCS score (β = 0.127, P = 0.02; β = 0.158, P < 0.01), as well as other demographic and obstetric information, explaining 22.0% of the variance in MCS scores totally (F = 12.228, P < 0.01).ConclusionsPregnant women perceived lower empathy from their spouses and reported lower HRQoL. Perceived empathy, particularly behavioural empathy, may significantly impact pregnant women’s MCS scores but has no effect on their PCS scores. Strategies that foster perceived empathy from spouses among pregnant women are essential for facilitating healthy pregnancies and potentially improving maternal and child health.

Cooperative behavior in adolescents: a contribution of empathy and emotional regulation?

This study aims to identify different levels of empathy and emotional regulation along adolescent years and their relationship with cooperative behavior. Eighty healthy males were divided into four age groups: 20 Early Adolescents, 20 Middle Adolescents, 20 Late Adolescents and 20 Adults. Participants responded to empathic and emotional regulation scales, then were assigned to an unknown partner to perform the prisoner's dilemma paradigm. The statistical analyses allowed to distinguish the groups on the basis of the components making up the two scales: scores on the Perspective Taking component were higher for Adults and Late Adolescents participants than for Middle Adolescents and Early Adolescents groups (p < 0.05); scores on the Personal Distress component were higher for Early Adolescents group than for Late Adolescents and Middle Adolescents groups (p < 0.05); scores on the Difficulties engaging in goal directed behavior component were higher for Middle Adolescents and Early Adolescents groups than for Adults group (p < 0.05). We observed differences between groups (p < 0.001) with higher number of cooperation responses in Adults compared to Middle Adolescents (p < 0.05) and Early Adolescents groups (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that the cooperative behavior changes during the different stages of adolescence seem to be related to the development of empathy and emotional regulation components.

Australian nursing students' experiences of workplace violence during clinical placement: A cross-sectional study.

To identify the nature, degree and contributing factors of workplace violence (WPV) incidents experienced by Australian nursing students during clinical placement. Descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were collected from 13 September to 25 November 2022. Eligible participants included all nursing students enrolled in nursing degrees at any Australian university who had completed at least one clinical placement. An adapted version of the WPV in the Health Sector Country Case Study survey was used. A total of 381 nursing students across eight states of Australia completed the survey. More than half of the students had experienced an episode of WPV; patients were the most frequent perpetrators. Personal factors of patients, staff and students, organizational factors and cultural norms within the workplace supported acts of WPV. Student nurses (SNs) most often experience violence from patients during direct care. Patient encounters are the core component of clinical placement. Education providers have a responsibility to effectively prepare students to be able to identify escalating situations and manage potentially violent situations. Registered nurses who supervise students during clinical placement require support to balance their clinical role with student supervision. Experiencing WPV can negatively impact relationships between students, healthcare professionals and care recipients. This results in personal distress, decreased job satisfaction and potentially the decision to leave the nursing profession. What already is known: SNs are exposed to WPV during clinical placement. More than half the SNs in this study experienced violence inclusive of physical, verbal, racial and sexual harassment. Patients were the predominant perpetrators. Implications for practice/policy: Interventions at individual and systemic levels are required to mitigate WPV. This study is reported using the STROBE guidelines.

From memory to motivation: Probing the relationship between episodic simulation, empathy, and helping intentions.

Research has documented a strong link between constructing episodic simulations-vivid imaginations of specific events-and empathy. To date, most studies have used episodic simulations of helping someone to facilitate affective empathy and promote helping intentions, but have not studied how episodic simulations of another's distressing situation affect empathy. Moreover, affective empathy encompasses both personal distress (i.e., an egocentric experience of distress in response to another's circumstances) and empathic concern (i.e., compassion for another), but we do not know how episodic simulations affect each component. To address these questions, we ran three experiments testing how different episodic simulations influenced personal distress and empathic concern, and thereby willingness to help. In Experiment 1 (N = 216), we found that participants who constructed episodic simulations of another's situation reported increased personal distress (but not empathic concern) and increased helping intentions compared to a control group; additional analyses revealed that personal distress mediated the simulation effect on helping. Furthermore, in Experiment 2 (N = 213), we contrasted episodic simulation of helping versus the distressing scenario; we found no differences in personal distress or helping intentions, but simulating helping led to higher empathic concern. Experiment 3 (N = 571) included both simulation conditions and a control condition; we fully replicated our findings, additionally showing that simulating a helping interaction increased personal distress, empathic concern, and helping intentions relative to the control condition, which consisted of prior work. Taken together, our work illustrates how distinct forms of episodic simulation differentially guide empathic responding and highlights the importance of personal distress in motivating helping. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Association of prosocial personality traits with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in psychiatric nurses; Single-centre cross-sectional study in Croatia

IntroductionSymptoms of depression, anxiety and stress are more common in the population of nurses working in psychiatric hospitals than in many other segments of the health care system. These three elements of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress) may reduce the nurse’s ability to establish quality therapeutic relationships with patients, which are very important in the treatment of mental disorders. Some studies suggest that prosocial personality traits may have a protective role. Other research suggests that high levels of empathy, for example, may increase secondary traumatisation and lead to more pronounced symptoms of distress.ObjectivesThe main objective of the study was to examine the association of prosocial personality traits with symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in nurses employed in a psychiatric clinic. The hypothesis was that more pronounced prosocial personality traits are associated with a lower expression of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.MethodsThe target population were nurses employed in a psychiatric hospital working directly with patients. No sample was selected, but the whole available population was invited to participate. The independent variable was prosocial personality traits measured by the Prosocial Personality Battery (PSB). The outcome was symptoms of distress (depression, anxiety and stress) measured using the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The hypothesis was tested using three linear regression analyses.ResultsTotal of 63 MST were included with a median (interquartile range) age of 34 (24-42) years. Prosocial personality traits were statistically significantly associated with scores on the DASS-21 subscale measuring depression: personal distress (PD) (r = 0.32; P = 0.01) and self-reported altruism (r = 0.30; P = 0.02). Only the subscale measuring the specific personality trait of personal distress (PD) was statistically significantly correlated with the scores of the other two DASS-21 subscales, anxiety and stress (anxiety: r = 0.54; P &lt; 0.001; stress: 0.46; P &lt; 0.001). Helpfulness was negatively related to anxiety (b = -0.29; P = 0.03).ConclusionsThis research partially confirmed the hypothesis that stronger prosocial personality traits are associated with a lower prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in the MST of employees in a psychiatric clinic.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Couples’ empathy and sensitive responsiveness to a crying baby simulator

Emotional empathy has been linked to prosocial behaviors and is deemed crucial for parenting and caring for infants. This study examined whether emotional empathy (dispositional and in response to infant crying) is associated with sensitive responsiveness, as observed in 221 heterosexual couples (half of whom were expecting their first child) during a standardized caregiving situation. Simulators resembling real infants were used. Caregiving performed by each partner individually and as a couple was observed using the Ainsworth sensitivity scale. The partners rated their own empathy and their perceived partner’s empathy toward the infant simulator. The Polish version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used to measure dispositional emotional empathy (empathic concern, EC; personal distress, PD). Multilevel modeling showed that self-reported and partner-reported empathy elicited by the infant simulator mediated the association between dispositional empathic concern and sensitive responsiveness during caretaking. Women were more empathic and responsive while caring for the infant simulator, and couple sensitive responsiveness was predicted by higher dispositional EC and lower PD in women but not in men. Our findings suggest that dispositional empathy and empathic reactions toward an infant simulator might translate into better adjustment to parenthood and more responsive parenting and coparenting.

The Impact of Perspective Taking Training in Student Teachers on Unintended Empathy Components

Empathy training focuses mainly on improving perspective taking (PT) skills, but rarely considers possible changes in other, affective empathy components. In this study, we aimed to examine for unintended changes in the other empathy components emotional concern, personal distress, and fantasy, some of which were not specifically intended. We used a trait (Saarbrücken Personality Questionnaire for Measuring Empathy) and a state (Jefferson Scale for Empathy - Teacher Version) questionnaire respectively. On the trait measures, only the PT score improved, as it was intended by the training. No significant change in the affective factors occurred. Thus, the training showed no undesirable side effects. Looking at the Jefferson Scale factors related to pedagogical situations, significant changes occurred in the areas of perspective taking, emotional understanding of students, pedagogy more important than empathy, and student-centeredness. Since these are only pedagogically relevant changes in attitudes, this is consistent with the goal of the empathy training. Unwanted side effects were not observed here either.

Empathy and support exchanges in couples coping with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease

Objectives Research has extensively examined spousal caregiving in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but it remains unclear how people with AD help spousal caregivers. We aimed to describe emotional and practical support that people with AD and their spouses provide to each other and test the role their empathy plays in these support experiences. Methods Seventy-two people with early-stage AD and their spousal caregivers independently reported empathy (personal distress, empathic concern, perspective taking) and the frequency and appraisal of support provision. Caregivers reported both partners’ sociodemographic characteristics. Results People with early-stage AD and their spousal caregivers provided support to each other often. Caregivers provided more support but people with AD appraised support provision as more pleasant and less stressful. Lower personal distress in both partners and greater caregiver empathic concern were associated with more frequent caregiver support to people with AD. Greater empathic concern and perspective taking were associated with more pleasant appraisals of helping. Personal distress was positively associated with stress of helping. Conclusion Findings describe support reciprocity in early-stage AD and debunk the myth of people with AD being only recipients of care. We identify risk and resilience in couples per empathy and inform the design of dyadic interventions to promote mutually beneficial relationships in AD.

Does Personal Financial Distress Affect Workers’ Performance? Evidence From Real Estate Agents

This study examines how personal financial distress affects workers’ performance. Using the real estate brokerage industry as a setting and personal bankruptcy filing as a proxy for personal financial distress, we find that sale prices of agent-represented houses are lower in the year when agents are financially distressed than the non-distressed year, relative to the control group. We also find that the less desirable sales’ outcomes induced by distressed agents spill over to homeowners’ future buying activities. These owners subsequently buy houses with higher loan-to-value (LTV) ratios in lower-quality neighborhoods.

How Exposure to Personal Distress With and Without Self-compassion Affects Distress Tolerance: Results from a Two-Sample Randomized Trial

How Exposure to Personal Distress With and Without Self-compassion Affects Distress Tolerance: Results from a Two-Sample Randomized Trial

Associations between perfectionism and empathy in psychiatry and neurology residents

BACKGROUND: Empathy is considered a key element in doctor-patient relationship that may positively influence communication and outcomes. However, the correlation of empathy with perfectionism, which prevalence and rates among students are increasing, remains understudied.&#x0D; AIM: The aim is to study the associations between perfectionism and empathy in psychiatry and neurology residents.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: Psychiatry and neurology residents (n = 100) aged 22–29 filled out the following validated instruments: “Three-Factor Perfectionism Inventory” (N.G. Garanyan, et al.) and “The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)” (M. Davis). The sample was divided into three groups with high (n = 37), medium (n = 33) and low (n = 30) levels of perfectionism.&#x0D; RESULTS: Residents with high level of perfectionism have higher level of personal distress (p 0.01). In this group were also observed significant positive associations between general level of perfectionism and empathic concern (p 0.05); socially prescribed perfectionism and personal distress (p 0.05), fantasy (p 0.05), empathic concern (p 0.05); perfectionistic cognitive style and personal distress (p 0.01). In residents with medium level of perfectionism a positive correlation exists between self-oriented perfectionism and perspective taking (p 0.05). In residents with low level of perfectionism perspective taking negatively correlated with general level of perfectionism (p 0.01) and self-oriented perfectionism (p 0.05); a positive correlation exists between socially prescribed perfectionism and personal distress (p 0.01).&#x0D; CONCLUSIONS: These findings allow to identify socially prescribed perfectionism and perfectionistic cognitive style, that associated with personal distress, as targets of psychological correction.