Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (678 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
An individual's objective and insightful awareness of the feelings and behavior of another person. It should be distinguished from sympathy, which is usually nonobjective and noncritical. It includes caring, which is the demonstration of an awareness of and a concern for the good of others. (From Bioethics Thesaurus, 1992)
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Caring; Compassion.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Personality; Emotional Intelligence
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 27,204 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Empathy” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 8,238 of them (30.3%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 9,428 records.
Reviews account for 2,484 records (9.1%) and meta-analyses for 242. Randomized controlled trials number 848 (3.1%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 4,111 |
| 2000-2009 | 5,427 |
| 2010-2019 | 9,428 |
| 2020 onward | 8,238 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 2,484 | 9.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 242 | 0.9% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 848 | 3.1% |
Method: PubMed query "Empathy"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in psychiatry and psychology
Research on mental health and behaviour relies on questionnaires, interviews and rating scales rather than physical measurements, so how a condition was defined and measured shapes every result. Many studies are observational or small, placebo responses can be large, and findings in one group or culture may not carry over to another. Nothing on this page is advice about diagnosis or treatment; anyone worried about their mental health should talk to a qualified clinician. Check how outcomes were measured, who took part and how long they were followed.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue Among Clinical Nurses in China | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 5 | cc by PMID 41424982 · DOI · PMC12714083 |
| Intervention-induced changes in state mindfulness do not predict trait changes in mindfulness, self-compassion, or perceived stress | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 41272222 · DOI · PMC12639022 |
| Enhancing System Empathy Within a UK Emergency Department: A Feasibility Interprofessional Priority Setting Exercise | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 41833058 · DOI · PMC13007488 |
The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue Among Clinical Nurses in China [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundCompassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue are critical to nurses' well-being and patient care.
- Closing excerpt
- Implications for nursing managementIt is important for nursing managers to recognize the susceptibility of nurses to compassion fatigue and develop specific strategies to alleviate burnout and secondary traumatic stress while fostering compassion satisfaction.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (248 words)
BackgroundCompassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue are critical to nurses' well-being and patient care. In China, factors such as high workloads and healthcare reforms may elevate nurses' risk for compassion fatigue.AimsTo assess the prevalence and influencing factors of compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue among Chinese clinical nurses.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 581 registered nurses completed surveys on demographics, work-related factors, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Psychology Capital Questionnaire, Perceived Social Support Scale, and Professional Quality of Life Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, and multiple linear regression.ResultsThe prevalence of low, average, and high levels was 5.7%, 79.2%, and 15.1% for compassion satisfaction; 31.0%, 67.6%, and 1.4% for burnout; and 34.8%, 63.5%, and 1.7% for secondary traumatic stress, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that compassion satisfaction (R 2 = 54.3%), sleep quality (β = -0.09, p = 0.005), psychological capital (β = 0.540, p β = 0.215, p R 2 = 46.9%), sleep quality (β = 0.224, p β = -0.329, p β = -0.289, p R 2 = 8.0%), sleep quality (β = 0.231, p β = -0.13, p = 0.009) were also significant predictors.ConclusionsChinese clinical nurses experience significant compassion fatigue. Sleep quality, psychological capital, and social support are key factors associated with their professional quality of life, highlighting targets for intervention by nursing management.Implications for nursing managementIt is important for nursing managers to recognize the susceptibility of nurses to compassion fatigue and develop specific strategies to alleviate burnout and secondary traumatic stress while fostering compassion satisfaction.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41424982 · DOI · PMC12714083
Intervention-induced changes in state mindfulness do not predict trait changes in mindfulness, self-compassion, or perceived stress [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Previous research has identified state mindfulness as a key change mechanism in explicitly mindfulness-based interventions to increase trait mindfulness and reduce stress.
- Closing excerpt
- Results suggest that intervention framing could play a crucial role in facilitating explicit connections between state experiences and trait development, contributing to our understanding of mindfulness as a change mechanism in psychological interventions.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (193 words)
Previous research has identified state mindfulness as a key change mechanism in explicitly mindfulness-based interventions to increase trait mindfulness and reduce stress. This study extends previous work by examining trajectories of state mindfulness and their associations with trait indicators of mindfulness, self-compassion, and perceived stress when mindfulness practices are delivered within a Socioemotional Competence Training (SECT) without explicit mindfulness labeling. A sample of 166 healthy younger and older German adults (75.2% female; Mage = 46.26; SDage = 18.70) participated in the 8-week SECT. State mindfulness was assessed weekly, whereas trait mindfulness, self-compassion, and perceived stress were assessed before, during, and after the training. Second-order latent growth models suggest significant pre-post improvements in all state and trait variables (d = |0.38| to |0.62|), but trait changes were not predicted by changes in state mindfulness. These findings indicate that while state mindfulness increases during the Socioemotional Competence Training, these increases alone appear insufficient to drive changes in trait mindfulness and related outcomes. Results suggest that intervention framing could play a crucial role in facilitating explicit connections between state experiences and trait development, contributing to our understanding of mindfulness as a change mechanism in psychological interventions.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41272222 · DOI · PMC12639022
Enhancing System Empathy Within a UK Emergency Department: A Feasibility Interprofessional Priority Setting Exercise [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- RationaleEmpathy in healthcare benefits patients and practitioners, yet system-level barriers inhibit empathy.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionParticipants in a UK setting were satisfied with a previously developed system empathy workshop, were able to prioritise changes that would improve system empathy, and were confident that the changes would be effective.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (237 words)
RationaleEmpathy in healthcare benefits patients and practitioners, yet system-level barriers inhibit empathy. The barriers include burnout-inducing administrative workloads, burdensome protocols, lack of wellbeing spaces, un-empathic leadership, and not emphasising empathy as an institutional value. A workshop aimed at enhancing empathic systems was successfully delivered in Canada but has not been tested in the UK National Health Service (NHS) setting.Aims and objectivesThis study aimed to test the feasibility of an empathic systems workshop within the UK.MethodWe conducted an interprofessional workshop with stakeholders from an emergency department (ED). We used a modified nominal group technique to prioritise actions that enhance empathy in the ED. Satisfaction with the workshop and confidence that the workshop would lead to positive change were measured on a 10-point Likert scale.ResultsTwenty-eight participants representing the following stakeholder groups attended the workshop: medical consultants, nurses, and porters. The group agreed to generate an improved wellbeing plan and to implement an effective secondary triage system. Seventy-three percent (73%) rated their satisfaction with the workshop as eight or higher out of ten, and 63% reported being confident that the workshop would lead to improvements in system empathy. A doctor strike limited the range of stakeholders who were able to attend, and long-term follow up was not conducted.ConclusionParticipants in a UK setting were satisfied with a previously developed system empathy workshop, were able to prioritise changes that would improve system empathy, and were confident that the changes would be effective.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41833058 · DOI · PMC13007488
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis [4]
- Research article Exploring compassion: a meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology [5]
- Research article Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: a meta-analytic review [6]
- Research article Toward a hierarchical model of social cognition: A neuroimaging meta-analysis and integrative review of empathy and theory of mind [7]
- Research article A Meta-Analysis of Compassion-Based Interventions: Current State of Knowledge and Future Directions [8]
- Research article Effects of empathic and positive communication in healthcare consultations: a systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
Full-text reviews on EvidenceLib
Open-access review articles about this topic, reproduced in full with authors, licence and references.
Shared and distinct functional networks for empathy and pain processing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of fMRI studies
Nicholas Fallon, Carl Roberts, Andrej Stancak · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 2020 · CC BY 4.0
References
- Xiong T, Wang J, Wang M. The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue Among Clinical Nurses in China. . 2025. PMID 41424982 · DOI · PMC12714083
- Borgdorf KSA, Küchler G, Wrzus C, Aguilar-Raab C. Intervention-induced changes in state mindfulness do not predict trait changes in mindfulness, self-compassion, or perceived stress. . 2025. PMID 41272222 · DOI · PMC12639022
- Howick J, Ward A, Grantham C, Bennett-Weston A. Enhancing System Empathy Within a UK Emergency Department: A Feasibility Interprofessional Priority Setting Exercise. . 2026. PMID 41833058 · DOI · PMC13007488
- Khoury B, Sharma M, Rush SE, Fournier C. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res. 2015. PMID 25818837 · DOI
- MacBeth A, Gumley A. Exploring compassion: a meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology. Clin Psychol Rev. 2012. PMID 22796446 · DOI
- Anderson CA, Shibuya A, Ihori N, Swing EL, Bushman BJ, Sakamoto A, et al.. Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: a meta-analytic review. Psychol Bull. 2010. PMID 20192553 · DOI
- Schurz M, Radua J, Tholen MG, Maliske L, Margulies DS, Mars RB, et al.. Toward a hierarchical model of social cognition: A neuroimaging meta-analysis and integrative review of empathy and theory of mind. Psychol Bull. 2021. PMID 33151703 · DOI
- Kirby JN, Tellegen CL, Steindl SR. A Meta-Analysis of Compassion-Based Interventions: Current State of Knowledge and Future Directions. Behav Ther. 2017. PMID 29029675 · DOI
- Howick J, Moscrop A, Mebius A, Fanshawe TR, Lewith G, Bishop FL, et al.. Effects of empathic and positive communication in healthcare consultations: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J R Soc Med. 2018. PMID 29672201 · DOI · PMC6047264
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.