Empathy Levels and Their Determinants Among Undergraduate Medical Students in Central Odisha: a Cross-sectional Study Using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Empathy can be a critical area in patient care and management, yet several studies imply that it reduces in budding doctors during their education and medical training due to academic stress, burnout and due to increase in patient exposure in day-to-day practice. In this study medical undergraduates in a medical college in central Odisha India were assessed by comparing trends and changes in across the academic years from first year to final year, for finding various determinants of low empathy among the medical undergraduates. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 879 students and interns were selected from a Teaching Medical college and Hospital in Central Odisha, India. Through Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) scale empathy was evaluated. Domains which were considered were Perspective taking scale (PT), Fantasy scales (FS), Empathic concern scale (EC) and Personal distress scale (PD). Binary logistics regression was used to see association of Academic and demographic factors with empathy scores. Results: Female students secured empathy score of 87.54+ 13.9 with a mean total empathy score which was higher across all domains (p<0.01). Students of first year undergraduates showed greater empathy scores than their senior batches (OR-2.9; 95% 1.85-4.68). Older the age >23 yrs and especially male gender were predictors of low empathy with Odds Ratio (OR- 0.5 and 2.9 p= 0.0001 both). Total of 94.8% of participants needed empathy training. Conclusion: As student’s progress through their years in medical college, their level of empathy tends to decrease, and this change is influenced by their gender and the year they are in school. Interventions that are specifically focused, like reflexive exercises and faculty modelling, should be considered for inclusion in medical education programs. Female gender showed greater empathy compared to males, with an odds ratio of 0.32, a confidence interval between 0.168 and 0.64, and a p-value of 0.001. Batches with higher empathy levels had more than twice the chance of being observed compared to batches with lower empathy levels, with an odds ratio of 2.78, a confidence interval between 1.13 and 6.87, and a p-value of 0.026. Older ages showed higher results, and the way people see teaching empathy also changed a lot along with other important findings. Keywords: Empathy, medical education, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, empathy decline.
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7204638873