The integrated curriculum and student empathy: a longitudinal multi-cohort analysis.

Research has demonstrated erosion of empathy in students during medical education. Particularly, U.S. studies have demonstrated empathy declines during clinical training in the third and fourth year of traditional medical programs. Yet, studies conducted outside the U.S. have not confirmed this trend. Timing and extent of patient interactions have been identified as empathy-protective factors. The need to examine empathy within different learning contexts has been noted, as has the need for longitudinal and time-series research designs to analyze trajectories. Between fall 2010 and spring 2019, we assessed empathy longitudinally among six student cohorts (N = 493) at a U.S. medical school, where patient interaction occurs early and throughout an integrated curriculum. Empathy levels of students in each cohort were assessed at five time points utilizing the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Student version. We hypothesized empathy levels will not degrade by program end, and trajectories will not show patterns of decline in Years Three and Four. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Linear Mixed Model (LMM) analyses were used to analyze differences at baseline and changes in empathy trajectories. ANOVA analyses revealed statistically significant differences at baseline by class cohort (F(5, 487) = [23.28], p < 0.001). LMM analyses indicated empathy was either significantly higher or not different at the end of the program (F(19, 1676) = [13.97], p < 0.001). Empathy trajectories varied among cohorts; yet, none resulted in an overall empathy decline by the end of the program. Findings demonstrate empathy in U.S. medical students can be unchanged or higher by the end of medical education. Outcomes are consistent with reports of non-declining medical student empathy outside the U.S. and support the notion of context-specificity. Results further support recent research, suggesting decreases in empathy during training can stabilize or increase by program end. These findings have important implications for future empathy research context and design considerations, as well as program planning.

Potential cultural predictors of heavy episodic drinking in Hispanic college students.

Heavy alcohol use in college students is a serious health risk. It is unclear how cultural variables impact alcohol use in Hispanic college populations. Here, the relationships between gender, bicultural identity, familism, and adherence to traditional gender roles with heavy episodic drinking (HED) in a Hispanic college sample are assessed. Participants, 80 males and 80 females, were asked to complete a questionnaire packet, which assessed demographic information, as well as measures designed to rate drinking amount and frequency, bicultural integration, familism, and traditional gender role adherence. Average age of the sample was 19.9 years (SD = 3.05), in which the majority of participants were classified as either Freshmen or Sophomores (88.8%). Overall, 47.5% of participants reported engaging in HED, with 51% of men and 44% of women reporting HED. Univariate analyses along with logistic regression were utilized to assess possible differences and correlates of HED. Neither individual predictors nor the overall model were statistically significant. These findings suggest the need for continued assessment of HED in Hispanic college students using other culturally based constructs, as well as psychosocial factors that are found to predict heavy drinking in other ethnocultural college-aged students.

Correlates of weight concern and control in a Hispanic college student sample.

This study examined the relationships between weight concern and control and theoretically and empirically relevant correlates in a Hispanic college student sample. Participants were 163 Hispanic college students who completed measures assessing demographics, willingness to put health at risk to lose weight, unhealthy weight loss methods, acculturation, body weight and fitness happiness and importance, and sociocultural attitudes toward appearance. Body mass index was also assessed. Females internalized sociocultural attitudes toward appearance more and found personal attractiveness more important than males, while males were less happy with their personal attractiveness. Internalization of sociocultural attitudes toward appearance and BMI predicted the degree to which individuals were willing to put their health at risk to lose weight. The previous factors, as well as the importance of body weight and fitness and being female, were significant predictors of number of unhealthy weight loss methods employed to lose weight. These data indicate that within a Hispanic college student population, weight concern and control issues are relevant considerations for future studies and the development and assessment of weight loss interventions.