Ye Jian-Xin, Huang Li-Qiu, Yang Shi-Lai
Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361000, Fujian Province, China.
Department of Nephrology, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, Xiamen 361000, Fujian Province, China.
World J Psychiatry. 2025 Jul 19;15(7):106845. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i7.106845.
Death anxiety is a common emotional response to death, and it varies in intensity across cultures and regions. However, there is a paucity of research on death anxiety among nursing students during their clinical internship, especially in relation to their emotional experiences and behavioral responses.
To explore the relationship between empathy and death anxiety as well as to identify factors influencing students' empathetic skills during their initial clinical experiences.
This cross-sectional study included 473 nursing students enrolled from across vocational colleges in Quanzhou (Fujian Province, China) during June-July 2023. These students were trained at three Grade-A general hospitals. The Empathy Scale and Death Anxiety Scale were applied to assess their empathetic skills and death anxiety levels during the early stages of the clinical internship. Data analyses employed descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, independent sample -tests, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis.
The mean death anxiety score was 46.33 ± 6.29, with 95.6% of participants exhibiting high death anxiety. The mean scores across dimensions were as follows: Cognitive-affective, 18.08 ± 3.15; pain and illness, 13.25 ± 2.41; awareness of the passage of time, 5.58 ± 1.40; stimuli related to death, 9.40 ± 1.56. The mean empathy score was 63.78 ± 11.49. Regression analysis revealed that students' subject major, total death anxiety level, and pain and stress dimensions acted as significant predictors of their empathetic skills during early clinical practice ( < 0.05).
Vocational nursing students, especially those in midwifery with higher death anxiety, exhibited lower empathetic skills during the early stages of their clinical internship. Nursing educators should take measures to enhance the empathetic skills of students through appropriate training and support for students with high death anxiety levels.
死亡焦虑是对死亡的一种常见情绪反应，其强度在不同文化和地区有所差异。然而，关于护理专业学生临床实习期间死亡焦虑的研究较少，尤其是与其情感体验和行为反应相关的研究。
探讨同理心与死亡焦虑之间的关系，并确定在学生最初的临床实习经历中影响其同理心技能的因素。
这项横断面研究纳入了2023年6月至7月期间从泉州（中国福建省）各职业院校招收的473名护理专业学生。这些学生在三家三级甲等综合医院接受培训。应用同理心量表和死亡焦虑量表评估他们在临床实习早期的同理心技能和死亡焦虑水平。数据分析采用描述性统计、相关性分析、独立样本t检验、单因素方差分析和多元线性回归分析。
死亡焦虑平均得分为46.33±6.29，95.6%的参与者表现出高度死亡焦虑。各维度平均得分如下：认知情感维度为18.08±3.15；疼痛与疾病维度为13.25±2.41；对时间流逝的意识维度为5.58±1.40；与死亡相关的刺激维度为9.40±1.56。同理心平均得分为63.78±11.49。回归分析显示，学生的专业、总体死亡焦虑水平以及疼痛与压力维度是其临床实习早期同理心技能的重要预测因素（P<0.05）。
职业护理专业学生，尤其是助产专业且死亡焦虑较高的学生，在临床实习早期表现出较低的同理心技能。护理教育工作者应采取措施，通过适当的培训和对死亡焦虑水平较高的学生提供支持，来提高学生的同理心技能。
