Resilience as a Predictor of Empathy in Dental Students in Latin America: A Multicentre Study

Díaz-Narváez V.P.; Gamarra-Moncayo J.; Fortich-Mesa N.; Salgado J.D.S.; Alonso Palacio L.M.; Cruz-Rocha E.R.D.L.; Tirado Amador L.; Coronado A.M.E.; Navarro W.S.; Epuyao González L.; Espinoza Retamal M.; Jaramillo Cavieres P.; Pontón Y.D.; Díaz-Reissner C.; Vásquez M.J.G.; Sierra L.A.V.; Ceric-Garrido F.; Huerta-González S. · European Journal of Dental Education (2026) · DOI: 10.1111/eje.70016

Resumen

Introduction: Empathy is an attribute that allows an intersubjective connection between dental students and their patients, which benefits both. Empathy can be affected by stress, depression and distress, which can have consequences for empathic capacity. One factor attributed to the ability to inhibit this negative influence is resilience. Objective: To determine the predictive capacity of resilience on empathy. Materials and Methods: A total of 3893 dental students from five Latin American countries participated. Resilience and empathy scales were applied. Univariate descriptive measures were estimated for both scales. Full psychometric analysis was performed, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis, reliability, measurement invariance and Structural Equation Modelling to determine the predictive capacity of resilience on empathy and cut-off points for both attributes. Results: The theoretical model was supported in both scales. Invariance was observed between groups (sex). Resilience was found to have predictive capacity for empathy. Ecological resilience positively predicted all three dimensions of empathy; likewise, engineering resilience negatively predicted the ‘compassionate care’ and ‘walking in the patient's shoes’ dimensions and adaptive resilience negatively predicted all three dimensions of empathy. Conclusions: Resilience has predictive capacity for empathy.

Instituciones: Universidad Católica Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo