title: Exploring autistic-like traits relating to empathic attitude and psychological distress in hospital pharmacists.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pharmacists are expected to play a key role in modern cancer care. Research suggests that an empathic approach and attitude in medical staff improves the quality of patient care. An empathic attitude and psychological distress are thought to be associated with autistic-like traits, but little is known about such traits.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this study, we aimed to clarify the associations among autistic-like traits, empathic attitude in a medical context, and psychological health in hospital pharmacists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligibility criteria for inclusion were certified pharmacists working at hospitals for patient care who returned their questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight hundred and twenty-three hospital pharmacists completed a number of self-administered questionnaires anonymously by mail.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scores were obtained on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, the Jefferson Scale of Empathy, the General Health Questionnaire-12, and subscales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Perspective Taking, IRI-Empathic Concern, IRIPersonal Distress). We performed correlation and mediation analyses to confirm that the empathy and general health questionnaires were associated with autism-spectrum quotient scores, and with each IRI subscale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Complete responses were obtained from 379 pharmacists comprising 151 males (39.8 %) with a mean age of 37.7 ± 10.8 years (missing data, n = 13) and a median of 11 years after qualification as a pharmacist. Autism-Spectrum Quotient scores were inversely correlated with empathy (r = -0.22, p < 0.001) and positively correlated with general health scores (r = 0.40, p < 0.001). In the models with mediation, the inverse correlation between autism-spectrum quotient and empathy scores was mediated indirectly by IRI-Perspective Taking and IRI-Empathic Concern, and the positive correlation between autism-spectrum quotient and general health was mediated indirectly by IRI-Personal Distress. There were also direct effects, with significant effects of autism-spectrum quotient on empathy and general health scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that autistic-like traits affect both empathic attitude in a medical context and the psychological health of pharmacists. We recommend that to improve empathy in those with high levels of autistic-like traits, we may need to develop specialized interventions, such as improving communication skills training.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.affiliation: Innovation Center for Supportive, Palliative and Psychosocial Care, National Cancer Center, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uchitomi
authors.affiliation: Center for Suicide Prevention, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center for Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujimori
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care and Medical Education, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sendo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatry, Okayama University Hospital, 2-5-1 Shikata-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8558, Japan. masatoshiinagaki@okayama-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inagaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Empathy; Hospital pharmacist; Japan; Pharmaceutical care