AUTHOR=Yang Ningxi , Zhang Yuting , Liu Zhibo , Wang Fang , Yang Guoqing , Hu Xiuying 

TITLE=Influence of Social Workers' Empathy Ability on Suicidal Ideation of Cancer Patients

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.925307

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2022.925307

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: The nursing goal of cancer patients is to provide them with holistic care including physical, psychological, social adaptation and spirituality. This research aimed to explore the influence of the social workers' empathy ability on suicidal ideation of cancer patients and its path. 
Methods: There were a sum of 358 cancer patients and the 45 social workers serving them participated in the survey. Data of their self-efficacy, depression symptom, stigma and suicidal ideation were measured before the social work provided (T1) and 3 months after the social work finished (T2) were collected and compared. Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships between social workers’ empathy ability and patient indicators at T2. The influence path of social workers' empathy ability on cancer patients’ suicidal ideation were explored by path analysis at T2.
Results: At T2, patients reported higher self-efficacy and lower depression symptom, stigma and suicidal ideation than T1. At T2, social workers’ empathy ability was positively related to patients’ self-efficacy, and was negatively related to depression symptom, stigma and suicidal ideation. Social workers' empathy ability affected patients’ suicidal ideation directly. In addition, patients’ self-efficacy, depression symptom and stigma played mediating roles in the influence of social workers' empathy abilities on their suicidal ideation.
Conclusion: Social workers' empathy ability not only directly affected cancer patients’ suicide ideation but also affected suicide ideation through the mediating roles of self-efficacy, depression symptom and stigma. Therefore, the improvement of empathy ability of medical social workers needs to be paid attention to.