Comparison of Communication Skills and Empathy Levels of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Students According to Individual and Academic Characteristics: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors : Erhan Seçer, Derya Özer Kaya

Pages : 615-629

Doi:10.21020/husbfd.1427299

View : 42 | Download : 39

Publication Date : 2024-08-02

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objectives: This study aimed to compare the communication skills and empathy levels of physiotherapy and rehabilitation students according to their individual and academic characteristics. Material and Methods: A total of 481 physiotherapy and rehabilitation students (mean age: 20.43±1.85 years) were included in the study. Students\' individual and academic characteristics, communication skills and empathy levels were recorded with a survey form structured with the “Google Forms” application. The structured survey form consisted of a short informational text about the study and its purpose, questions about the individual and academic characteristics of the students, and questions from the Communication Skills Scale and Toronto Empathy Scale. Comparison of two independent groups and more than two independent groups means were performed with the independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), respectively. When a significant difference was found as a result of comparing the means of more than two groups, Bonferroni correction was used to determine which group caused this difference. Results: It was observed that the communication skills of students who were female (p=0.024), had a democratic family structure (p=0.004), did not have difficulties in interpersonal relationships (p˂0.001), and had a high perceived socio-economic level (p=0.022) were higher. Also, it was concluded that the empathy levels of female students were higher (p˂0.001), while the empathy levels of the 4th grade students were lower (p=0.003). Conclusion: These results revealed that students\' communication skills and empathy levels differ according to individual and academic characteristics.
Keywords : farkındalık, iletişim, eğitim, empati