Healthcare's empathy in elderly care: How anxiety, depression, and professional quality of life influence empathic abilities

The objective of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to determine the relationship between empathy, anxiety, depression, compassion satisfaction, and fatigue in healthcare professionals working in elderly care centers. A sample of 104 healthcare professionals from nursing homes in Spain completed questionnaires assessing empathic skills, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. The results showed high levels of empathy and compassion satisfaction among participants and significant relationships between empathic skills, anxiety, depression, and quality of life measures. The regression analysis identified interpersonal reactivity, depression, compassion satisfaction, fatigue, and years of experience as significant predictors of empathy in the clinical context. Empathy is of paramount importance in the field of geriatric care, with enhanced empathic abilities exerting a beneficial influence on professional practice. However, the presence of depressive symptoms may hinder empathic abilities and affect the quality of care. Compassion satisfaction emerged as a significant predictor of empathy, highlighting the importance of emotional support and communication skills training in healthcare settings.