The Role of Personality and Some Demographic Factors on Empathy among Medical Undergraduates in the South-West of Nigeria

Abstract

The issue of medical doctors not possessing empathy for the patients in the country (Nigeria) is quite alarming. This has been found to influence the willingness to seek health care and also the compliance and adherence of patients to treatment; yet not much research has been done to look into this problem. The study therefore investigated the influence of personality, religious affiliation, gender and age on empathy among medical undergraduates in Nigeria. An expo-facto research design was employed, and using purposive and accidental sampling techniques, a total of 295 medical students (144 males and 97 females) with age range between 16 and 41 years (Mean = 22.72; SD = 3.82) were selected as participants in the research. One hypothesis was formulated and tested with hierarchical regression analysis. The result revealed that agreeableness (β = .17; t = 2.61; p< .01), conscientiousness (β = 0.22; t = 3.52; p<0.01) and neuroticism (β = -.16, t = -2.58, p< .05) significantly predicted empathic behavior among the undergraduates, while extraversion and openness to experience did not. Age also predicted empathy (β = 0.13; t = -1.98, p<.05) in an inverse relationship implying the younger students were more empathic. Similarly, religious affiliation predicted empathy (β = -0.17, t = -2.50, p < 0.01). All variables of study accounted for 14% variation in the prediction of empathic behavior among Nigerian medical undergraduates. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that individualized intervention strategies based on personality traits should be integrated into programs to enhance empathy in medical education.