Exploring Relationships between Empathy, Cognitive Dissonance, and Well-being among Physicians: A Cross-sectional, Correlational Study

Background: The physician–patient relationship is the foundation of health care. As a key component of effective communication, empathy fosters trust and enhances patient outcomes. However, cognitive dissonance arising from conflicts between cognitive and affective empathy (AE) can negatively affect physician well-being, directly impacting the quality of care. This exploratory, correlational, cross-sectional study investigates the relationships between clinical empathy, AE, cognitive empathy (CE), cognitive dissonance, and subjective well-being among physicians. Methods: A purposive snowball sampling technique was employed to collect survey data from 106 physicians registered under the Medical Council of India practicing allopathic medicine, through validated psychometric scales such as the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, Basic Empathy Scale, Cognitive Dissonance Scale, and Well-being Index. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and nonparametric tests in IBM SPSS 29.0 and mediation, confirmatory factor analysis in Amos 29. Results: Clinical empathy was significantly positively correlated with CE ( r = 0.307, P = 0.001) and AE ( r = 0.232, P = 0.017). AE showed a significant positive correlation with CE ( r = 0.371, P < 0.001). CE was significantly negatively correlated with cognitive dissonance ( r = −0.197, P = 0.043). Cognitive dissonance was significantly negatively correlated with subjective well-being ( r = −0.293, P = 0.002). Conclusion: Findings indicate that higher CE may be associated with lower cognitive dissonance, and that cognitive dissonance is negatively associated with subjective well-being. These findings may inform practical training and support programs for physicians and contribute to advancements in both medical education and the quality of care.