The Mediating Effect of Calling on the Relationship Between Medical School Students' Academic Burnout and Empathy

Overview

Journal Korean J Med Educ

Specialty Medical Education

Date 2017 Sep 6

PMID 28870019

Citations 8

Authors

Su Jin Chae

So Mi Jeong

Yoon-Sok Chung

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: This study is aimed at identifying the relationships between medical school students' academic burnout, empathy, and calling, and determining whether their calling has a mediating effect on the relationship between academic burnout and empathy.

Methods: A mixed method study was conducted. One hundred twenty-seven medical students completed a survey. Scales measuring academic burnout, medical students' empathy, and calling were utilized. For statistical analysis, correlation analysis, descriptive statistics analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. For qualitative approach, eight medical students participated in a focus group interview.

Results: The study found that empathy has a statistically significant, negative correlation with academic burnout, while having a significant, positive correlation with calling. Sense of calling proved to be an effective mediator of the relationship between academic burnout and empathy.

Conclusion: This result demonstrates that calling is a key variable that mediates the relationship between medical students' academic burnout and empathy. As such, this study provides baseline data for an education that could improve medical students' empathy skills.

Citing Articles

Developing empathy in healthcare professions students: protocol of a mixed-methods non-controlled longitudinal intervention study.

Muller A, Ngiam N, Dunn M, Samarasekera D, Goh B, Goh C Front Med (Lausanne). 2024; 11:1452516.

PMID: 39411188 PMC: 11473357. DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1452516.

The association between empathy and burnout in medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Cairns P, Isham A, Zachariae R BMC Med Educ. 2024; 24(1):640.

PMID: 38849794 PMC: 11157786. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05625-6.

Association between hopelessness and job burnout among Chinese nurses during the COVID-19 epidemic: The mediating role of career calling and the moderating role of social isolation.

Zhang Y, Kuang D, Zhang B, Liu Y, Ren J, Chen L Heliyon. 2023; 9(6):e16898.

PMID: 37303510 PMC: 10245282. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16898.

Why might medical student empathy change throughout medical school? a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies.

Howick J, Dudko M, Feng S, Ahmed A, Alluri N, Nockels K BMC Med Educ. 2023; 23(1):270.

PMID: 37088814 PMC: 10124056. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04165-9.

Moderating Role of Peer Pressure and Positive Learning Environment Between Career Calling and Academic Procrastination in Chinese Medical Students During Controlled COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Wang Z, Liu X, He J, Wang Y, Zhao C, Yang X Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2023; 16:927-938.

PMID: 36992981 PMC: 10042170. DOI: 10.2147/PRBM.S403219.

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