Original scientific paper

PSYCHIATRISTS’ EMPATHY, BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS VETERANS SUFFERING FROM COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Marijana Braš ; Centre for Palliative Medicine, Medical Ethics and Communication Skills, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia
Lovorka Brajković ; Centre for Palliative Medicine, Medical Ethics and Communication Skills, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia
Vibor Milunović ; Centre for Palliative Medicine, Medical Ethics and Communication Skills, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia
Ivana Bičanić ; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia
Franko Haller ; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia
Veljko Đorđević ; Centre for Palliative Medicine, Medical Ethics and Communication Skills, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia
Davor Miličić ; University of Zagreb, School of Medicine, Clinical Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Background: Empathy is a powerful and necessary skill for understanding another person’s subjective experience. In this study
we wanted to explore psychiatrists’ attitudes towards PTSD, general empathy, possible differences related to age, sex and regional
location in Croatia.
Subjects and methods: 205 psychiatrists from different Croatian regions participated in this study. To define psychiatrists’
attitudes towards PTSD patients a questionnaire was devised. It contained 14 items related to psychiatrists’ ability to live through
emotional and social conditions of PTSD patients. BarOn Emotional Quotient-Inventory Empathy Subscale was used to measure the
empathy among the subjects.
Results: This study has found statistically significant differences regarding gender in measured variables of the designed
questionnaire. Male participants believed they were able to understand war veterans’ feeling’s and relate to traumatic experience
while female participants stated that they had the ability to understand the trivial triggers for suicidal intentions. Regional
differences were found in the understanding of war traumatic experience and social deviations occurring in PTSD. Older
psychiatrists stated their incomprehension of the social difficulties the PTSD patients were facing. The years of experience in the
psychiatric field were associated with inability to understand the patients’ feelings’. Differences in empathy among the subjects were
not found.
Conclusion: The understanding of the empathic process in the therapeutic approach towards PTSD explored in this study was
associated with basic variables such as gender and age but the construct of empathy itself is more complex and related with
variables not assessed in this study, so our findings are preliminary and further research is needed.

Keywords

PTSD; war veterans; physician; empathy; attitude

Hrčak ID:

106237

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/106237

Publication date:

24.9.2012.

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