Determining the Factors Affecting the Compassion Levels of Students Studying in Health Sciences: A Cross-Sectional Study

Yıl 2024, Sayı: 4, 9 - 15, 29.02.2024

Hanife Tiryaki Şen Tuğba Öztürk Yıldırım Hilal Kuşcu Karatepe Şehrinaz Polat

https://doi.org/10.26650/CURARE.2024.1274679

Öz

Objective: This study is being conducted to determine the perceived compassion levels of students studying in health sciences and the factors affecting these.
Method: The universe of this descriptive and cross-sectional study consists of university students studying in 2- and 4-year health-related undergraduate programs, with data being obtained from 920 students. The data were collected in Turkiye’s Marmara and Mediterranean regions between March 15, 2019 and April 15, 2019. The data consist of answers to questions examining the students’ sociodemographic characteristics and to the Compassion Scale. The data analysis benefits from descriptive statistics; number, percentage, mean, and standard deviation values; independent samples t-test results, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: The study has found the students to have good compassion levels, with these levels having been determined to differ according to gender, class, and age. The female students’ mean compassion scores both overall as well as for the six subdimensions were found to be higher than the male students’ mean scores. A very significant difference (p<0.001) was determined between the mean overall compassion score and the mean score for the indifference subdimension according to the students’ grade levels. A very significant difference (p<0.001) was also found between the mean scores for the kindness and separation subdimensions, as well as a significant difference (p<0.05) among the mean scores for the common humanity, mindfulness, and disengagement subdimensions.
Conclusion: Students’ perceived compassion levels were determined to change as a result of many factors. Universities must use all available resources to demonstrate and model compassionate behavior so that students do not lose sight of what compassion means with regard to their profession and the provision of quality care.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Compassion, affecting factors, students

Destekleyen Kurum

None

Proje Numarası

None

Teşekkür

We thank the students who participated in the research.

Kaynakça

• 1. Chachula KM. A comprehensive review of compassion fatigue in pre-licensure health students: antecedents, attributes, and consequences. Current Psychology 2020: 1-13. google scholar
• 2. Weingartner LA, Sawning S, Shaw MA, Klein JB. Compassion cultivation training promotes medical student wellness and enhanced clinical care. BMC Medical Education 2019; 19(1):1-11. google scholar
• 3. Choudhary S, Ismail A, Hanif R. Individual compassion leading to employees’ performance: An empirical study from Pakistan. Journal of Management and Research 2017;4(1):1-35. google scholar
• 4. Sexton K, Thompson S. Compassion leads to the creation of the back pack program in Kentucky--research. Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning 2016;13(1):4. google scholar
• 5. Fulmer CA, Ostroff C. Convergence and emergence in organizations: An integrative frame work and review. Journal of Organizational Behavior 2016;37(1):122-45. google scholar
• 6. Pehlivan T, Güner P. Compassion fatigue: The known and unknown. Journal of Psychiatric Nursing 2018;9(2):129-34. google scholar
• 7. Adamson E, Dewar B. Compassionate care: Student nurses’ learning through reflection and the use of story. Nurse Education in Practice 2015;15(3):155-61. google scholar
• 8. Lopez A, Sanderman R, Ranchor AV, Schroevers MJ. Compassion for others and self-compassion: Levels, correlates, and relationship with psychological well-being. Mindfulness 2018;9(1):325-31. google scholar
• 9. Aboul-Ela GMBE. Reflections on workplace compassion and job performance. Journal of Human Values 2017;23(3):234-43. google scholar
• 10. Haslam D. More than kindness. Journal of Compassionate Health Care 2015;2(1):1-3. google scholar
• 11. Sundus A, Younas A, Fakhar J, Sughra U. Pakistani nursing students' perspectives of compassion: A convergent mixed methods study. Journal of Professional Nursing 2020; 36(6):698-706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2020.09.014 google scholar
• 12. Reader TW, Gillespie A. Patient neglect in healthcare institutions: a systematic review and conceptual model. BMC Health Serv Res. 2013;13:156-70. google scholar
• 13. Kitching GT, Firestone M, Schei B, Wolfe S, Bourgeois C, O’Campo P, et. al. Unmet health needs and discrimination by healthcare providers among an indigenous population in Toronto, Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2020;111(1):40-9. google scholar
• 14. Fotaki M. Why and how is compassion necessary to provide good quality healthcare? International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2015;4(4):199-201. google scholar
• 15. Booth L. Compassion: A universal language. Contemporary Nurse 2016;52(1-3):366-68. google scholar
• 16. Younas A, Maddigan J. Proposing a policy framework for nursing education for fostering compassion in nursing students: A critical review. Journal of Advanced Nursing 2019;75(8):1621-36. google scholar
• 17. Schantz ML. Compassion: a concept analysis. Nursing Forum 2007;42(2): 48-55. google scholar
• 18. Cole-King A, Gilbert P. Compassionate care: The theory and the reality. Journal of Holistic Healthcare 2011;8(3):29-37. google scholar
• 19. Younas A. Relational inquiry approach for developing deeper awareness of patient suffering. Nursing Ethics 2020;27(4):935-45. google scholar
• 20. Sinclair S, Norris JM, McConnell SJ, Chochinov HM, Hack TF, Hagen NA, et al. Compassion: A scoping review of the healthcare literature. BMC Palliative Care 2016;15(1):6. google scholar
• 21. Durkin M, Gurbutt R, Carson J. Qualities, teaching, and measurement of compassion in nursing: A systematic review. Nurse Education Today 2018;63:50-8. google scholar
• 22. Straughair C. Cultivating compassion in nursing: A grounded theory study to explore the perceptions of individuals who have experienced nursing care as patients. Nurse Education in Practice 2019;35:98-103. google scholar
• 23. Pommier EA. The Compassion Scale. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences 2010; 72:1174. google scholar
• 24. Akdeniz S, Deniz EM. The Turkish adaptation of the Compassion Scale: A validity and reliability study. The Journal of Happiness & Well-Being 2016;4(1):50-61. google scholar
• 25. Çingöl N, Çelebi E, Zengin S, Karakaş M. The investigation of compassion level of nursing students in a health college. Turkish Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2018:1:61-7. google scholar
• 26. Özdelikara A, Babur S. Determination of compassion levels and empathic tendency of nursing students. Acıbadem University Health Sciences Journal 2020;11(2):342-9. google scholar
• 27. Babahanoğlu R, Obuz AT, Gencer N. Determinationof the compassion levels of social work students. Journal of Society & Social Work 2021;32(3):847-66. google scholar
• 28. Salazar LR. The relationship between compassion, interpersonal communication apprehension, narcissism and verbal aggressiveness. J Happiness Well-Being 2016;4:1-14. google scholar
• 29. Dizer B, İyigün E. The empathic tendency in the critical care nurses and the factors affecting. Journal of Anatolia Nursing and Health Sciences 2009;12:9-18. google scholar
• 30. Neff KD. The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity 2003a;2(3):223-50. google scholar
• 31. Neff KD. Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity 2003b;2(2):85-101. google scholar
• 32. Bilgiç Ş. Does the compassion level of nursing students affect their ethical sensitivity? Nurse Education Today 2022;109:105228. google scholar
• 33. Papadopoulos I, Ali S. Measuring compassion in nurses and other healthcare professionals: an integrative review. Nurse Educ. Pract. 2016;16:133-9. google scholar