Research on the Relationship between Empathy, Belief in a Just World, and Childhood Trauma in Pre-Clinical Medical Students

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relation between empathy, belief in a just world, and childhood trauma in pre-clinical medical students. Method: Answers were collected from 880 pre-clinical medical students to questionnaires such as the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Students Version (JSPE-S), the Belief in a Just World Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, in November 2021. Results: The empathy of pre-clinical medical students was positively correlated with their belief in a just world (r = 0.194, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with their childhood trauma (r = −0.256, p < 0.01); the mediating effect analysis showed that belief in a just world had a partial mediating effect on empathy and childhood trauma. Conclusion: Belief in a just world plays a mediating role between empathy and childhood trauma among pre-clinical medical students.