The Relationship Between Nursing Students’ Affection towards Children and Basic Empathy and Humor Styles: A Correlational Study

Abstract

Objective: Love and affection help children develop a basic sense of trust and healthy personality traits. This paper evaluated the relationship between affection towards children and basic empathy and humor in nursing students. Material and Method: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted in the spring semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. The sample consisted of 112 nursing students who took the “Child Health and Disease Nursing” course. Participation was voluntary. Data were collected using a Descriptive Information Form, the Barnett Liking of Children Scale (BLOCS), the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), and the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ). Results: BLOCS scores were moderately and positively correlated with BES “basic empathy” subscale scores and weakly and positively correlated with BES “affective empathy” subscale scores. BLOCS scores were moderately and negatively correlated with HSQ “aggressive humor” subscale scores and positively correlated with BES “affective empathy” and HSQ “self-enhancing” and “affiliative humor” subscale scores. Conclusion: Nursing students’ empathy levels (cognitive and affective empathy) and humor styles (affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating humor style) affect their affection towards children. It is of paramount significance to determine nursing students’ empathy levels and humor styles to improve pediatric nursing practices.

Keywords

• Humor
• child
• nursing students
• affection

Hemşirelik Öğrencilerinin Çocuk Sevgisi ile Temel Empati ve Mizaha Trzları Arasındaki İlişki: İlişkisel Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Amaç: Sevgi ve şefkat gören çocuklar sağlam bir güven duygusu ve sağlıklı kişilik özellikleri geliştirirler. Bu çalışmanın amacı hemşirelik öğrencilerinde çocuk sevgisi ile temel empati ve mizah tarzları arasındaki ilişkiyi belirlemektir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu tanımlayıcı ve ilişkisel çalışma 2019-2020 eğitim-öğretim yılının bahar döneminde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmaya “Çocuk Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları Hemşireliği” dersini alan 112 hemşirelik öğrencisi katılmıştır. Katılım gönüllülük esasına dayalıdır. Veriler, Tanımlayıcı Bilgi Formu, Barnett Çocuk Sevme Ölçeği (BCSÖ), Temel Empati Ölçeği (TEÖ) ve Mizah Tarzları Anketi (MTA) ile toplanmıştır. Bulgular: BCSÖ puanları, TEÖ “temel empati” alt ölçek puanlarıyla orta ve pozitif yönde ilişkiliyken, TEÖ “duygusal empati” alt ölçek puanlarıyla zayıf ve pozitif yönde ilişkilidir. BCSÖ puanları, MTA “saldırgan mizah” alt ölçek puanlarıyla orta ve negatif yönde ilişkiliyken, TEÖ “duygusal empati” ve MTA “kendini geliştirici mizah” ve “katılımcı mizah” alt ölçek puanlarıyla pozitif yönde ilişkilidir. Sonuç: Hemşirelik öğrencilerinin empati düzeyleri (bilişsel ve duygusal empati) ve mizah tarzları (kendini geliştirici, kendini yıkıcı, katılımcı ve saldırgan) çocuklara duydukları sevgiyi etkilemektedir. Hemşirelik öğrencilerinin empati düzeylerini ve mizah tarzlarını belirlemek pediatrik hemşirelik uygulamalarını daha iyi hale getirmek için büyük önem taşımaktadır.

Keywords

• Mizah
• çocuk
• hemşirelik öğrencileri
• sevgi

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