The empathy of university counselors on mediating the perceived demand and helping behavior / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mediating effect of college counselors' empathy between perceived demand and behavior of helping others. METHODS: Three hundred and eleven college counselors were selected as study subjects by a convenient sampling method. The Perceived Needs Ability Questionnaire,Interpersonal Reactivity Index-C Questionnaire and Helping Behavior Questionnaire were used to assess the perceived needs,empathy ability and helping behavior of college counselors. RESULTS: The score of the empathy ability of college counselors was( 3. 4 ± 0. 4),the median scores of perceived demand ability and helping behavior were 3. 1 and 3. 3 respectively. The perceived demand ability of college counselors was positively correlated with both empathy ability and helping behavior [Spearman rank correlation coefficient( rS) = 0. 25,0. 27,P < 0. 01) ],and empathy ability was positively correlated with helping behavior( rS) = 0. 30,P <0. 01). Empathy ability has partial intermediary effect between perceived demand ability and helping behavior under the circumstances of medium-level dilemma and high-level dilemma,with the ratio of mediating effect to total effect accounting for 14. 6% and 13. 2% respectively. CONCLUSION: The perceive demand ability can directly or indirectly promote the behavior of helping others. Empathy ability plays partial mediating effects between perceived demand ability and helping behavior.