
Contributions
Abstract: P1326
Type: Poster
Abstract Category: RIMS - Neuropsychology and fatigue management
Background: Empathy refers to the ability to understand other persons intentions, predict their behaviour and experience an emotion triggered by their emotion. It allows us to interact with the social world and has been associated with improved labor climate and teamwork. Empathy has a down side as well, considering its associations with Neuroticism and fatigue in professionals caring for suffering people. A few studies have reported reduced degrees of empathy, empathic concern and fantasy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The current study examines relations between empathy and work participation, work role functioning , productivity and other clinical and personal variables in employed relapsing-remitting MS patients.
Methods: In the context of the MS@Work study, 19 unemployed and 148 employed patients with relapsing-remitting MS completed the Baron-Cohen"s Empathy Quotient and questionnaires on demographics, work role functioning and productivity, physical and cognitive functioning, fatigue, depression, anxiety, personality and coping. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to examine group differences in empathy. Correlation analyses and stepwise linear regression analysis were used to examine relations between empathy and work role functioning, productivity, demographic, clinical and personal variables in employed MS patients. The significance level was set at 0.05. We used p< =0.001 for the correlations.
Results: Empathy was, although not statistically significant, lower in unemployed as compared with employed MS patients (U=1059.50, p=.081, r=.14). Empathy was higher in females (U=1409.50, p=.002, ) and in patients with a higher educational level (H(7)=17,99, p=.012). We found significant relations between empathy and the personality traits Agreeableness (rs=.560, p < .001), Conscientiousness (rs=.287, p< .001) and Extraversion (rs=.263, p=.001). Empathy did not correlate with work role functioning and productivity. In a stepwise linear regression, controlling for gender and education, the personality trait Agreeableness (β=.50, t(147) = 7.21, p< .001) was positively associated with empathy (R²=.41, p< .001).
Conclusions: Empathy did not differ significantly between employed and unemployed MS patients. Empathy was not associated with work role functioning and productivity in employed MS patients, but was associated with the personality trait Agreeableness. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine further relations between empathy and employment.
Disclosure: The MS@Work study is financed by the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Teva Pharmaceuticals and ZonMw (TOP Grant, project number: 842003003).
DvG, KvdH, MH, IvL, MR, JvdK, EB, HB, JF, BvG, JM, PP, WV, GV, DZ, HM and LV have nothing to disclose. PJ: Dr. P.J.Jongen has received honoraria from Allergan, Bayer, Merck-Serono and Teva for contributions to symposia as a speaker or for consultancy activities EA: Dr. E.P.J. Arnoldus reports personal fees from honoraria for lectures, and honoraria for advisory boards from TEVA Netherlands, Biogen Idec and Novartis, outside the submitted work. JvE: Dr. J.J.J van Eijk received honoraria for lectures, travel grants and honoraria for advisory boards from TEVA Netherlands, Merck Serono, Genzyme, Biogen Idec and Novartis, outside the submitted work. SF:Dr. S.T.F.M. Frequin reported consulting and lecture fees from/ and working with Abbot, Bayer Schering, Biogen Idec, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Merck Serono, UCB Pharma, TEVA, Sanofi/Aventis, Genzyme, Roche. GH: Dr. G.J.D. Hengstman reports grants and personal fees from Biogen Idec, grants, personal fees and other from Novartis, grants and personal fees from Teva Pharmaceuticals, grants and personal fees from Merck Serono, grants, personal fees and other from Genzyme, outside the submitted work. EH: Dr. E. Hoitsma reports grants from Genzyme, grants from Biogen Idec, grants from Bayer, outside the submitted work. RH: Dr. R.M.M. Hupperts received honoraria for lectures, grants for research and honoraria for advisory boards from Merck Serono, Novartis, Genzyme Sanofi and Biogen, outside the submitted work. JPM: Dr. J. P. Mostert reports personal fees from Novartis, Merck Serono, Genzyme, TEVA, outside the submitted work.
Abstract: P1326
Type: Poster
Abstract Category: RIMS - Neuropsychology and fatigue management
Background: Empathy refers to the ability to understand other persons intentions, predict their behaviour and experience an emotion triggered by their emotion. It allows us to interact with the social world and has been associated with improved labor climate and teamwork. Empathy has a down side as well, considering its associations with Neuroticism and fatigue in professionals caring for suffering people. A few studies have reported reduced degrees of empathy, empathic concern and fantasy in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The current study examines relations between empathy and work participation, work role functioning , productivity and other clinical and personal variables in employed relapsing-remitting MS patients.
Methods: In the context of the MS@Work study, 19 unemployed and 148 employed patients with relapsing-remitting MS completed the Baron-Cohen"s Empathy Quotient and questionnaires on demographics, work role functioning and productivity, physical and cognitive functioning, fatigue, depression, anxiety, personality and coping. Mann-Whitney U-tests were used to examine group differences in empathy. Correlation analyses and stepwise linear regression analysis were used to examine relations between empathy and work role functioning, productivity, demographic, clinical and personal variables in employed MS patients. The significance level was set at 0.05. We used p< =0.001 for the correlations.
Results: Empathy was, although not statistically significant, lower in unemployed as compared with employed MS patients (U=1059.50, p=.081, r=.14). Empathy was higher in females (U=1409.50, p=.002, ) and in patients with a higher educational level (H(7)=17,99, p=.012). We found significant relations between empathy and the personality traits Agreeableness (rs=.560, p < .001), Conscientiousness (rs=.287, p< .001) and Extraversion (rs=.263, p=.001). Empathy did not correlate with work role functioning and productivity. In a stepwise linear regression, controlling for gender and education, the personality trait Agreeableness (β=.50, t(147) = 7.21, p< .001) was positively associated with empathy (R²=.41, p< .001).
Conclusions: Empathy did not differ significantly between employed and unemployed MS patients. Empathy was not associated with work role functioning and productivity in employed MS patients, but was associated with the personality trait Agreeableness. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine further relations between empathy and employment.
Disclosure: The MS@Work study is financed by the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Teva Pharmaceuticals and ZonMw (TOP Grant, project number: 842003003).
DvG, KvdH, MH, IvL, MR, JvdK, EB, HB, JF, BvG, JM, PP, WV, GV, DZ, HM and LV have nothing to disclose. PJ: Dr. P.J.Jongen has received honoraria from Allergan, Bayer, Merck-Serono and Teva for contributions to symposia as a speaker or for consultancy activities EA: Dr. E.P.J. Arnoldus reports personal fees from honoraria for lectures, and honoraria for advisory boards from TEVA Netherlands, Biogen Idec and Novartis, outside the submitted work. JvE: Dr. J.J.J van Eijk received honoraria for lectures, travel grants and honoraria for advisory boards from TEVA Netherlands, Merck Serono, Genzyme, Biogen Idec and Novartis, outside the submitted work. SF:Dr. S.T.F.M. Frequin reported consulting and lecture fees from/ and working with Abbot, Bayer Schering, Biogen Idec, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Merck Serono, UCB Pharma, TEVA, Sanofi/Aventis, Genzyme, Roche. GH: Dr. G.J.D. Hengstman reports grants and personal fees from Biogen Idec, grants, personal fees and other from Novartis, grants and personal fees from Teva Pharmaceuticals, grants and personal fees from Merck Serono, grants, personal fees and other from Genzyme, outside the submitted work. EH: Dr. E. Hoitsma reports grants from Genzyme, grants from Biogen Idec, grants from Bayer, outside the submitted work. RH: Dr. R.M.M. Hupperts received honoraria for lectures, grants for research and honoraria for advisory boards from Merck Serono, Novartis, Genzyme Sanofi and Biogen, outside the submitted work. JPM: Dr. J. P. Mostert reports personal fees from Novartis, Merck Serono, Genzyme, TEVA, outside the submitted work.