{"id":{"repo_id":"twu","oai_identifier":"oai:twu-ir.tdl.org:11274/17407"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/twu/oai:twu-ir.tdl.org:11274/17407","repository":{"repo_id":"twu","name":"Texas Woman's University","base_url":"https://twu-ir.tdl.org/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Empathy as a Predicting Factor of Stress Contagion Susceptibility","abstract":"Empathy allows individuals to understand and resonate with others’ emotions, while stress contagion occurs when one person’s stress triggers a stress response in another. Although each construct has been studied independently, little research has examined their potential interaction. This study sought to investigate whether trait empathy predicts susceptibility to stress contagion. Sixty-two participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Stress Numerical Rating Scale (SNRS), State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), listened to either a stressed or neutral speaker audio clip, or completed post-viewing self-report and physiological assessments. Changes in skin conductance were used to index physiological stress responses. A linear mixed-effects model revealed a significant three-way interaction between time, condition, and empathy. Specifically, individuals high in trait empathy exhibited greater changes in physiological stress response from pre to post stimulus. This research deepens our understanding of how dispositional empathy influences emotional transmission, with potential applications in clinical, educational, and occupational settings.","abstract_html":"Empathy allows individuals to understand and resonate with others’ emotions, while stress contagion occurs when one person’s stress triggers a stress response in another. Although each construct has been studied independently, little research has examined their potential interaction. This study sought to investigate whether trait empathy predicts susceptibility to stress contagion. Sixty-two participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Stress Numerical Rating Scale (SNRS), State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), listened to either a stressed or neutral speaker audio clip, or completed post-viewing self-report and physiological assessments. Changes in skin conductance were used to index physiological stress responses. A linear mixed-effects model revealed a significant three-way interaction between time, condition, and empathy. Specifically, individuals high in trait empathy exhibited greater changes in physiological stress response from pre to post stimulus. This research deepens our understanding of how dispositional empathy influences emotional transmission, with potential applications in clinical, educational, and occupational settings.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Meeks, Jessica"],"institution":"Texas Woman's University","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Psychological Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Rivers, Alannah"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":["Terrizzi Jr., John A","Zhang, Hansong"],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12","date_published":"2025-12","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:04:55Z","subjects":["Stress contagion","Empathy"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/11274/17407","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Rivers, Alannah"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Terrizzi Jr., John A","Zhang, Hansong"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Meeks, Jessica"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-02-18T02:27:29Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-12"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychological Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Texas Woman's University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Stress contagion","Empathy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/11274/17407"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Accessibility remediation is in progress for this item"]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Empathy allows individuals to understand and resonate with others’ emotions, while stress contagion occurs when one person’s stress triggers a stress response in another. Although each construct has been studied independently, little research has examined their potential interaction. This study sought to investigate whether trait empathy predicts susceptibility to stress contagion. Sixty-two participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Stress Numerical Rating Scale (SNRS), State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), listened to either a stressed or neutral speaker audio clip, or completed post-viewing self-report and physiological assessments. Changes in skin conductance were used to index physiological stress responses. A linear mixed-effects model revealed a significant three-way interaction between time, condition, and empathy. Specifically, individuals high in trait empathy exhibited greater changes in physiological stress response from pre to post stimulus. This research deepens our understanding of how dispositional empathy influences emotional transmission, with potential applications in clinical, educational, and occupational settings."]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Empathy as a Predicting Factor of Stress Contagion Susceptibility"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Rivers, Alannah"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Terrizzi Jr., John A","Zhang, Hansong"],"dc:creator":["Meeks, Jessica"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-02-18T02:27:29Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-12"],"dc:description":["Accessibility remediation is in progress for this item"],"dc:description.abstract":["Empathy allows individuals to understand and resonate with others’ emotions, while stress contagion occurs when one person’s stress triggers a stress response in another. Although each construct has been studied independently, little research has examined their potential interaction. This study sought to investigate whether trait empathy predicts susceptibility to stress contagion. Sixty-two participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Stress Numerical Rating Scale (SNRS), State-trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), listened to either a stressed or neutral speaker audio clip, or completed post-viewing self-report and physiological assessments. Changes in skin conductance were used to index physiological stress responses. A linear mixed-effects model revealed a significant three-way interaction between time, condition, and empathy. Specifically, individuals high in trait empathy exhibited greater changes in physiological stress response from pre to post stimulus. This research deepens our understanding of how dispositional empathy influences emotional transmission, with potential applications in clinical, educational, and occupational settings."],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/11274/17407"],"dc:language.iso":["English"],"dc:subject":["Stress contagion","Empathy"],"dc:title":["Empathy as a Predicting Factor of Stress Contagion Susceptibility"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychological Science"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Texas Woman's University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:04:55Z"}