Assessment of the relationship between family physicians' attitudes towards patients with dementia and their empathy levels

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the attitudes and empathy levels of family physicians toward individuals with dementia and to investigate the relationship between empathy levels and attitudes. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted with family physicians working in family medicine practice across Turkey. The data collection tools included a demographic information form, the Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS), and The Empathy Quotient (EQ). The data were analyzed using the SPSS (15.0) software program. Results: A total of 412 family physicians participated in the study. The mean total score of DAS was 97.74 (SD: 16.58), while the mean total score of EQ was 50.51 (SD: 8.22). Participants who were specialists and those with a higher percentage of elderly individuals registered in their practice demonstrated more positive attitudes. Exclusionary attitudes were found to be less common among participants who were married, had children and had a individual with dementia in their first-degree relatives. Additionally, older age, longer working experience, and a higher number of patients diagnosed with dementia were associated with less exclusionary attitudes. A positive correlation was identified between the total scores of EQ and DAS (p=0.481; r<0.001). While empathy levels were positively correlated with supportive and accepting attitudes, no correlation was observed regarding exclusionary attitudes. Conclusion: A low-level positive relationship was observed between the empathy levels of family physicians and their attitudes toward individuals with dementia. Keywords: Dementia, attitude, empathy, family physician