Estrés percibido y empatía en estudiantes universitarios que tienen mascotas

Abstract

Introduction: During the college stage, students go through various difficulties, whether academic, social, family, which affect their welfare, and the companions present during this process in some cases are usually their pets. The way in which students experience and interpret these events is known as perceived stress, in these situations, people can show their ability to recognize and / or share the emotional states of others, a process called empathy. Objective: Relate perceived stress with empathy in college students who have pets. Methods: A quantitative study of non-experimental design, correlational and cross-sectional scope. Instruments applied: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Results: A significant positive correlation was found between perceived stress and empathy. 51.9% of the participants were often stressed, with a significant difference in sex. The mean empathy score was 94.9 (± 13.91). Conclusion: The study showed that there is a relationship between perceived stress and empathy. Women present higher stress than men, and empathy tends to the maximum score.