The relationship between staff empathy and depressive symptoms in nursing home residents

The associations between nurse-aide empathy and self-rated depressive sympt oms were examined in a sample of 62 cognitively intact elderly nursing home residents in six nursing home settings. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale. Nurse-aide empathy was measured from t he perspective of the aide (resonated empathy), their supervisor (expressed empathy) and the patient (perceived empathy) using the Barrett-Lennard Rel ationship Inventory Empathy Subscales. Resonated, expressed and perceived e mpathy were relatively independent of each other. Multiple regression analy ses indicated that only perceived empathy was associated with residents' se lf-rated depression. The need to assess staff empathy in the nursing home, in conjunction with the specific role of the aide, as well as patient and s taff perspectives on the importance of empathy, as they pertain to psycholo gical outcomes, is discussed.