Attachment styles and empathy in trainee nurses: the mediating and moderating roles of attitudes toward death.

Aim: A growing body of evidence has shown that attachment styles and death attitudes have a significant impact on empathy. This study aimed to explore the precise role of death attitudes in the relationship between attachment styles and empathy levels among trainee nurses.

Methods: A total of 626 Chinese trainee nurses with different attachment types were enrolled, and their attachment styles, death attitudes, and empathy levels were assessed using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale, the Death Attitude Profile-Revised, and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Healthy Professionals, and finally, data from 566 participants were included for statistical analysis.