EMPATHY PREFERENCE: TIME USE ATTITUDE IN NURSING STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES.
Contributors: Boston College.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 138
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to identify shifts in preferred empathy modes and patterns of time use related to progression in nursing education and first post-graduation practice experience, and to explore whether or not there was a relationship between empathy and time use attitudes.

A volunteer sample (n = 266) of baccalaureate nursing students and recent graduates participated in this investigation.

Two measurement tools were used for testing purposes. First, the La Monica Empathy Profile was used to establish preferred empathy along five modes: (1) nonverbal; (2) perceiving feelings and listening; (3) responding verbally; (4) respect for self and others; and (5) openness, honesty and flexibility. Second, time use attitude was measured using Ben-Baruch's Time Use Attitude scale which categorizes individuals on four dimensions: (1) instinctive; (2) traditional; (3) achievement; and (4) integrated. Interviews were conducted with a subsample (n = 35) in order to explore subjects' perception of their development and use of empathy, and how they perceived their education and practice experiences to have either contributed to or restricted their empathic behaviors.

The hypothesis that the process of advancing through the nursing education program would result in differences on the La Monica Empathy profile received modest support, but only on the nonverbal mode of empathy. Specifically, graduates scored highest, freshmen scored lowest, and others fell in between in the nonverbal mode. The hypothesis that shifts in Time Use Attitude scores also would occur as a function of progressing through the nursing education program was not supported. There did not appear to be any systematic relationship between Empathy Mode scores and Time Use Attitude subscores as a function of educational level. Although analysis yielded numerous statistically significant correlations, they did not fall into an interpretable pattern.

Interview comments revealed subjects' perceptions that they had grown in their ability to be empathic through their experiences in both academic and clinical settings. Limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-11, Section: B, page: 5762.

Thesis (PH.D.)--BOSTON COLLEGE, 1991.

School code: 0016.