An Examination of Empathy and Interpersonal Dominance in BDSM Practitioners.

Background: Recent research has indicated that participation in BDSM (bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, and/or sadism-masochism) is not associated with psychological distress or psychopathology but that sexual roles may be associated with personality characteristics, specifically interpersonal dominance and empathy.

Aim: The present study examined potential differences between those who identify as dominant, switch, and submissive on interpersonal dominance and empathy.

Methods: Individuals who identified as members of the BDSM community were recruited online via a social networking site.

Development and Validation of a Novel Measure for the Direct Assessment of Empathy in Veterinary Students.

Empathy is a requisite clinical skill for health professionals and empathy scores have been positively associated with professionalism, clinical competency, confidence, well-being, and emotional intelligence. In order to improve empathy in the veterinary field, it is critical to measure the construct of empathy accurately. Most research has relied on self-reporting measures to assess empathy, while some studies have recently implemented the use of simulated client encounters in veterinary education.

Evidence of secondary traumatic stress, safety concerns, and burnout among a homogeneous group of judges in a single jurisdiction.

Active judges are likely to face numerous work-related experiences (e.g., traumatic cases) that affect performance of their occupational duties.