Cognitive To Affective Empathy During In Patient Psychiatry Exposure among Medical Students of Northern Border University Arar

1Dr Sadaf Aijaz, 2Mohammed Meshal B Alruwaili, 3Muhannad Eid Saleh Alnasr, 4Abdulrahman Hejji Eid Alanazi, 5Yasmeen Atallah Alenazi, 6Rakan Khalid M Alanazi, 7Khalid Khulaif A Alanazi, 8Faris Salamah F Alanazi, 9Fawaz Mohammed M Alanazi and 10Abdulmalik Ayed S Alenezi

1Assistant Professor Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University Arar
2,3,4,5,6Faculty of Medicine, Northern Border University Arar
7,8,9,10Faculty of Medicine (NBU)

Received: 16th Dec, 2025; Revised: 26th Jan 2026; Accepted: 12th Feb, 2026; Available Online: 28th Feb, 2026

ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore the impact of inpatient psychiatry exposure on the development of cognitive and affective empathy among medical students at Northern Border University, Arar. Empathy, a crucial component of patient care, is recognized for its role in fostering effective doctor-patient relationships and improving clinical outcomes. While cognitive empathy refers to the ability to understand another person's feelings and thoughts, affective empathy involves sharing and responding to the emotions of others. The study evaluates whether exposure to psychiatric patients in a clinical setting influences these two dimensions of empathy in medical students. A cross-sectional design was employed, with medical students who had participated in inpatient psychiatry training being assessed before and after the exposure using validated empathy measurement tools. The results indicate a significant increase in both cognitive and affective empathy scores post-exposure, with a notable enhancement in affective empathy. Factors influencing these changes, such as the type of psychiatric cases encountered and the students' prior experience with patients, were also explored. The study provides valuable insights into the importance of psychiatry exposure in medical education and highlights the potential for improving medical curricula to foster empathy in future healthcare providers. The findings suggest that targeted exposure to psychiatric environments enhances empathy, particularly affective empathy, which is critical for providing compassionate care. These results emphasize the need for integrating structured psychiatric training to promote holistic and empathetic clinical practices among medical students.

Keywords: Cognitive Empathy, Affective Empathy, Psychiatry Education, Medical Students, Inpatient Psychiatry, Empathy Development.

How to cite this article: Aijaz S, Alruwaili MMB, Alnasr MES, Alanazi AHE, Alenazi YA, Alanazi RKM, Alanazi KKA, Alanazi FSF, Alanazi FMM, Alenezi AAS, Cognitive To Affective Empathy During In Patient Psychiatry Exposure among Medical Students of Northern Border University Arar. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(5s): 125-134. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.5s.16