The impact of personality traits on attitudes toward learning communication skills

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between personality traits and attitudes toward learning communication skills in undergraduate medical students. The relation between students’ attitudes and personality trait could help us identify those who those who will need more support to develop communication skills, based on their personality traits.Methods: The data was collected data from an intentional and cross-sectional sample composed of 204 students from three Brazilian universities. The students answered questionnaires containing the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS-BR) and the Big Five Mini-Markers (BFMM) for personality. Data were analyzed using frequency calculations, principal components analysis, and the multiple linear regression model.Results: Seven among 26 items of the original Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) presented factor loads lower than |0.30| and must be excluded in the CSAS -BR that showed one domain including positive and negative attitudes. The value of Cronbach’s alpha of the 19-item scale was 0.894. The BFMM showed similar dimensional results with five domains with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.804 for Extroversion, 0.753 for agreeableness, 0.755 for conscientiousness, 0.780 for neuroticism and 0.668 for openness. There were positive and statically significant linear associations with the CSAS-BR and agreeableness (β: 0.230, p<0.001), extraversion (β: 0.150, p=0.030), and openness to experience (β: 0.190, p=0.010). These personality factors drive social interactions and interpersonal relations, which involve the tendency to be friendly, flexible, and cooperative; to show a willing disposition; and the ability to actively engage with others. Conclusions: Based on the methods applied in this study, the results demonstrated a relation between agreeableness, extraversion and openness to experience with attitudes on communication skills in students from three Brazilian universities. Our results suggest that the evaluation of personality traits can contribute to the recognition of students for whom the establishment of special teaching strategies can improve communication skills.Objetivos: Este estudo teve como objetivo determinar se se existe uma associação entre traços de personalidade e atitudes quanto à aprendizagem de habilidades de comunicação em estudantes de medicina. A relação entre as atitudes dos alunos e o traço de personalidade pode nos ajudar a identificar aqueles que necessitarão maior apoio para desenvolver habilidades de comunicação, a partir da  identificação inicial do traço de personalidade.Métodos: Os dados foram coletados em uma amostra intencional em um corte transversal composta por 204 estudantes de três universidades brasileiras. Os alunos responderam a questionários contendo a Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS-BR) e o Big Five Mini-Markers (BFMM) para personalidade. Os dados foram analisados usando cálculos de frequência, análise de componentes principais e o modelo de regressão linear múltipla.Resultados: Sete dos 26 itens do Communication Skills Attitude Scale (escala original - CSAS) apresentaram cargas fatoriais inferiores a |0.30|e foram excluídos no CSAS-BR, que mostrou um domínio contendo atitudes positivas e negativas. O valor do alfa de Cronbach na escala de 19 itens foi 0,894. O BFMM mostrou resultados dimensionais semelhantes com cinco domínios com valores alfa de Cronbach de 0,804 para extroversão, 0,753 para amabilidade, 0,755 para conscienciosidade, 0,780 para neuroticismo e 0,668 para abertura. Houve associações lineares positivas e estatisticamente significativas do CSAS-BR com amabilidade (β: 0,230, p <0,001), extroversão (β: 0,150, p = 0,030) e abertura à experiência (β: 0,190, p = 0,010). Esses fatores de personalidade promovem interações sociais e relações interpessoais com tendência de serem amigáveis, flexíveis e cooperativas; bem como estarem disponíveis; e com capacidade de se envolver ativamente com as outras pessoas.Conclusões: Este estudo, com a metodologia empregada, mostrou que traços amabilidade, extroversão e abertura à experiência estiveram associados com habilidades de comunicação em acadêmicos de três universidades brasileiras. Os resultados sugerem que a avaliação dos traços de personalidade possa contribuir para o reconhecimento de alunos para os quais o estabelecimento de estratégias especiais de ensino possa melhorar as habilidades de comunicação

Clinical communication skills and professionalism education are required from the beginning of medical training - a point of view of family physicians

Abstract Background The Brazilian undergraduate medical course is six years long. As in other countries, a medical residency is not obligatory to practice as a doctor. In this context, this paper aims to clarify what and when competencies in communication and professionalism should be addressed, shedding light on the role of university, residency and post-residency programmes. Methods Brazilian family physicians with diverse levels of medical training answered a questionnaire designed to seek a consensus on the competencies that should be taught (key competencies) and when students should achieve them during their medical training. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation tests. Results A total of seventy-four physicians participated; nearly all participants suggested that the students should achieve communication and professionalism competencies during undergraduate study (twenty out of thirty competencies – 66.7%) or during residency (seven out of thirty competencies – 23.33%). When competencies were analysed in domains, the results were that clinical communication skills and professionalism competencies should be achieved during undergraduate medical education, and interpersonal communication and leadership skills should be reached during postgraduate study. Conclusion The authors propose that attainment of clinical communication skills and professionalism competencies should be required for undergraduate students. The foundation for Leadership and Interpersonal Abilities should be particularly formed at an undergraduate level and, furthermore, mastered by immersion in the future workplace and medical responsibilities in residency

Added value of assessing medical students’ reflective writings in communication skills training: a longitudinal study in four academic centres

Objectives This study describes the development and implementation of a model to assess students’ communication skills highlighting the use of reflective writing. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the students’ reflections in the assessment of communication skills. Design Third-year and fourth-year medical students enrolled in an elective course on clinical communication skills development were assessed using different assessment methods. Setting and participants The communication skills course was offered at four universities (three in Brazil and one in Portugal) and included 69 students. Outcome measures The students were assessed by a Multiple-Choice Questionnaire (MCQ), an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and reflective writing narratives. The Cronbach’s alpha, dimensionality and the person’s correlation were applied to evaluate the reliability of the assessment methods and their correlations. Reflective witting was assessed by applying the Reflection Evaluation for Enhanced Competencies Tool Rubric (Reflect Score (RS)) to measure reflections’ depth, and the Thematic Score (TS) to map and grade reflections’ themes. Results The Cronbach alpha for the MCQ, OSCE global score, TS and RS were, respectively, 0.697, 0.633, 0.784 and 0.850. The interobserver correlation for the TS and RS were, respectively, 0.907 and 0.816. The assessment of reflection using the TS was significantly correlated with the MCQ (r=0.412; p=0.019), OSCE (0.439; p=0.012) and RS (0.410; p=0.020). The RS did not correlate with the MCQ and OSCE. Conclusions Assessing reflection through mapping the themes and analysing the depth of reflective writing expands the assessment of communication skills. While the assessment of reflective themes is related to the cognitive and behavioural domains of learning, the reflective depth seems to be a specific competence, not correlated with other assessment methods—possibly a metacognitive domain

Brazilian Adaptation and Validation of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles (RSS) Scale—Extended and Short Version

Studies highlight that although the spiritual/religious dimension is commonly used as a resource for coping with stress and suffering, sometimes this dimension can also be a locus of struggles. The Religious and Spiritual Struggles (RSS) Scale, composed of 26 items (extended version), is an instrument that assesses the presence of six types of spiritual struggles, categorized into three major categories: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Supernatural. More recently, studies have presented a leaner version, with 14 items (short version), also suitable for evaluating religious/spiritual struggles. This study aimed to validate the RSS Scale, in its two versions, in the Brazilian cultural context and was able to attest to its quality and reliability, albeit with small variations. The Brazilian extended version presented six components (similar to the original version) explaining 68.48% of variance and 0.907 of KMO. Two items were withdrawn due to low loadings, but the psychometric qualities of both versions in two different samples (one wide sample and one with LGBTQIA+ individuals) were maintained. The reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) for each one of the six components ranged from 0.78 to 0.88 (24 items) and from 0.73 to 0.83 (14 items). The TLI and CFI were, respectively, 0.934 and 0.945 (24 items) and 0.982 and 0.988 for the short version (14 items). Furthermore, convergent validity tests indicated correlations with the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The RSS Scale (the Brazilian versions with 24 and 14 items), demonstrated reliability in the studied sample and can be applied in clinical and research contexts