The role of Empathy in the relationship between emotional support and caring behavior towards patients among intern nursing students

Abstract Background The empathic relationship between nursing students and patients allows them to understand and address caring behavior for patients. Appropriate emotional support equips them to overcome the complexities and difficulties inherent in patient care. This support cultivates resilience and self-awareness, enabling students to manage their emotions effectively and establish meaningful connections and caring with their patients. Objectives To investigate the role of empathy in the association between emotional support and caring behavior toward patients among intern nursing students at Alexandria and Damanhur University. Subjects The study subjects were 200 intern nursing students in their internship years of 2022–2023, randomly selected from an equal sample size from Alexandria and Damanhur University, Egypt. Tools A questionnaire of social information& academics from students, the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire, the Caring Dimension Inventory, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support are used to collect participants’ data. Results Empathy was associated with caring behavior and emotional support among nursing students ( P < 0.001), and higher levels of empathy indicated increased levels of caring behavior and emotional support. The caring behavior significantly increased when intern nursing students received more emotional support and among those who were not working in private hospitals ( p < 0.001,& p = 0.023 respectively). Empathy acts as a mediating role in the relationship between emotional support and caring behavior. Implications Implementing strategies to assist interns in navigating challenges and promoting a culture of support can facilitate the cultivation of caring behaviors. Shedding light on the interconnectedness of empathy, emotional support, and caring behavior can inform the design of interventions to strengthen empathy as a pathway to improving patient outcomes. Conclusion Empathy is a mediating factor in the relationship between emotional support and caring behavior. This suggests that interventions promoting empathy may serve as a pathway to enhancing caring behavior among nursing students and strategies for improving patient care outcomes by strengthening empathy skills among healthcare professionals.