Impact of increased digital use and internet gaming on nursing students' empathy: A cross-sectional study.
Digital empathy
E-learning
Empathy
Nursing education
Journal
Nurse education today
ISSN: 1532-2793
Titre abrégé: Nurse Educ Today
Pays: Scotland
ID NLM: 8511379
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Dec 2022
Dec 2022
Historique:
received:
21
05
2022
revised:
22
08
2022
accepted:
14
09
2022
pubmed:
24
9
2022
medline:
2
12
2022
entrez:
23
9
2022
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
The COVID-19 restrictions and quarantines had led to increased dependence and usage of digital devices for various human activities and internet gaming to the extent of risking vulnerable individuals to develop addiction towards it. Little is known on such risks among populations of nursing students and its impact on their empathy skills or trait. Determining the impact of digital use and internet gaming on empathy of nursing students undergoing remote learning during closure of learning institutions nationwide. Cross-sectional online survey was conducted from October to December 2020. Two established public institutions located in Malaysia. A total of 345 nursing students pursuing diploma and bachelor nursing programs. Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ), Digital Addiction Scale (DAS) and Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short form (IGDS9-SF) were self-administered via Google Form™. Following principal component analysis of TEQ using IBM-SPSS™ (V-27), path analyses was performed using SmartPLS™ (V-3). Despite the increased time spent on digital devices (∆ 2.8 h/day) and internet gaming (∆ 1 h/week) before and during the pandemic, the proportion of high digital users (1.4 %) and gamers (20.9 %) were low; and sizable ≈75 % had higher-than-normal empathy. Digital-related emotions and overuse of them were associated with lower empathy (β = -0.111, -0.192; p values < 0.05) and higher callousness (β = 0.181, 0.131; p values < 0.05); internet gaming addiction predicted callousness (β = 0.265, p < 0.001) but digital dependence correlated with higher empathy (β = 0.172, p = 0.009). Digital and internet gaming addiction potentially impact empathy. The negative impact of digital dependence can be attenuated by "digital empathy" - an emerging phenomenon becoming increasingly vital in digital health and communication.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 restrictions and quarantines had led to increased dependence and usage of digital devices for various human activities and internet gaming to the extent of risking vulnerable individuals to develop addiction towards it. Little is known on such risks among populations of nursing students and its impact on their empathy skills or trait.
OBJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE
Determining the impact of digital use and internet gaming on empathy of nursing students undergoing remote learning during closure of learning institutions nationwide.
DESIGN
METHODS
Cross-sectional online survey was conducted from October to December 2020.
SETTINGS
METHODS
Two established public institutions located in Malaysia.
PARTICIPANTS
METHODS
A total of 345 nursing students pursuing diploma and bachelor nursing programs.
METHODS
METHODS
Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ), Digital Addiction Scale (DAS) and Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short form (IGDS9-SF) were self-administered via Google Form™. Following principal component analysis of TEQ using IBM-SPSS™ (V-27), path analyses was performed using SmartPLS™ (V-3).
RESULTS
RESULTS
Despite the increased time spent on digital devices (∆ 2.8 h/day) and internet gaming (∆ 1 h/week) before and during the pandemic, the proportion of high digital users (1.4 %) and gamers (20.9 %) were low; and sizable ≈75 % had higher-than-normal empathy. Digital-related emotions and overuse of them were associated with lower empathy (β = -0.111, -0.192; p values < 0.05) and higher callousness (β = 0.181, 0.131; p values < 0.05); internet gaming addiction predicted callousness (β = 0.265, p < 0.001) but digital dependence correlated with higher empathy (β = 0.172, p = 0.009).
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Digital and internet gaming addiction potentially impact empathy. The negative impact of digital dependence can be attenuated by "digital empathy" - an emerging phenomenon becoming increasingly vital in digital health and communication.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36150294
pii: S0260-6917(22)00299-4
doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105563
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
105563Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of competing interest No conflict of interest declared by all authors and this study did not receive funding from any agency.