Savarese Giulia, Carpinelli Luna, Stornaiuolo Giovanna, Bifulco Stefano, Bruno Giorgia, Navarra Marco
Medicine and Surgery, University of Salerno, Baronissi, ITA.
Social Studies, University of Salerno, Baronissi, ITA.
Cureus. 2024 Jul 24;16(7):e65266. doi: 10.7759/cureus.65266. eCollection 2024 Jul.
In recent decades, the topic of gender differences has become central to many areas of study, including medicine. The present study explored gender differences in empathy, gender role ideologies, and gender sensitivity among medical students, highlighting significant variations that can inform medical education and training programs.
The study involved 155 students (52.1% male; mean age: 22.68±2.48 years) from the Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Dentistry of the University of Salerno in Baronissi, Southern Italy. Participants completed two standardized scales: the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) to assess empathy, and the Nijmegen Gender Awareness in Medicine Scale (N-GAMS) to evaluate gender awareness. Six open-ended questions were also included in the gender-based violence representations.
The ANOVA analysis reveals significant differences in scores between male and female students across the N-GAMS scales, indicating a strong role of gender in these variations. These findings suggest the necessity for further research to understand the contributing factors and inform targeted interventions in medical education. Additionally, there are significant differences in compassionate care (Factor 2) and walking in the patient's shoes (Factor 3), highlighting the substantial impact of gender on these latter aspects of empathy.
These gender differences have significant implications for medical education. Training programs should be tailored to address the specific needs and characteristics of both male and female students. For example, encouraging male students to maintain their gender sensitivity while challenging traditional gender role ideologies can promote a more inclusive approach to patient care. For female students, fostering confidence in their compassionate care abilities and providing opportunities to express empathy in diverse ways can help overcome societal constraints.
近几十年来，性别差异这一话题已成为包括医学在内的许多研究领域的核心。本研究探讨了医学生在同理心、性别角色意识形态和性别敏感度方面的性别差异，突出了显著的差异，这些差异可为医学教育和培训项目提供参考。
该研究涉及来自意大利南部巴罗尼西萨勒诺大学医学、外科和牙科学系的155名学生（52.1%为男性；平均年龄：22.68±2.48岁）。参与者完成了两个标准化量表：用于评估同理心的杰斐逊同理心量表（JSE），以及用于评估性别意识的奈梅亨医学性别意识量表（N-GAMS）。基于性别的暴力表征中还包括六个开放式问题。
方差分析显示，在N-GAMS量表上，男女学生的得分存在显著差异，表明性别在这些差异中起着重要作用。这些发现表明有必要进行进一步研究，以了解促成因素，并为医学教育中的针对性干预提供信息。此外，在同情关怀（因素2）和设身处地为患者着想（因素3）方面存在显著差异，突出了性别对同理心这些后两个方面的重大影响。
这些性别差异对医学教育具有重要意义。培训项目应根据男女学生的具体需求和特点进行量身定制。例如，鼓励男学生保持其性别敏感度，同时挑战传统的性别角色意识形态，可以促进更具包容性的患者护理方法。对于女学生，增强她们对同情关怀能力的信心，并提供以多种方式表达同理心的机会，可以帮助她们克服社会限制。
