Abstract
ÖZET
Amaç: Empati, bireylerin başkalarının duygularını anlayabilme ve olaylara onların bakış açısından yaklaşabilme yeteneğidir. Bu çalışma, Chiari Malformasyonu Tip-I tanısı almış yetişkin bireylerin empati becerilerini sağlıklı bireylerle karşılaştırmayı amaçlamaktadır.
Yöntem: Çalışmaya, Chiari Malformasyonu Tip-I tanısı almış 31 birey (16 kadın, 15 erkek) ile 30 sağlıklı kontrol bireyi (15 kadın, 15 erkek) dahil edilmiştir. Katılımcıların empati düzeyleri; bilişsel empati, emosyonel yanıt, sosyal yeterlik ve empatik ilgi olmak üzere dört alt boyutu değerlendiren Cambridge Davranış Ölçeği ile ölçülmüştür. Veriler tek yönlü varyans analizi (ANOVA) ile analiz edilmiştir. Etik kurul onayı (Karar No: 2023-03/24) alınmış ve tüm katılımcılardan yazılı bilgilendirilmiş onam alınmıştır.
Bulgular: Gruplar arasında toplam empati, bilişsel empati ve sosyal yeterlik puanları açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark bulunmamıştır. Ancak, Chiari Malformasyonu Tip-I tanılı bireylerin emosyonel yanıt ve empatik ilgi puanları anlamlı derecede daha düşüktür (p < 0.05). Cinsiyetin empati üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisi bulunmuş; kadın katılımcılar bazı alt boyutlarda daha yüksek puanlar almıştır.
Sonuç: Elde edilen bulgular, Chiari Malformasyonu Tip-I’nin empati becerilerinin özellikle duygusal bileşenlerini seçici olarak etkileyebileceğini göstermektedir. Sonuçlar, bu bireylerin duygusal ve sosyal işlevselliklerini desteklemeye yönelik stratejilere duyulan ihtiyacı vurgulamaktadır. Gelecek çalışmalarda, empatik süreçlerin düzenlenmesinde serebellar yapılara ve ayna nöron sistemine ait rolün daha ayrıntılı biçimde araştırılması önerilmektedir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Chiari Malformasyonu Tip-I, bilişsel empati, emosyonel yanıt, sosyal yeterlik, empatik ilgi.
Ethical Statement
Bu tez çalışması için gerekli izinler, fakülte etik kurulundan (Karar No: 2023-03/24) ve Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Sağlık Hizmetleri Uygulama ve Araştırma Hastanesi Başhekimliğinden alınmış olup, çalışma süresince etik kurallara uyulmuştur.
Supporting Institution
Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi
Thanks
Örnekleme ulaşma sürecindeki katkılarından dolayı Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Beyin ve Sinir Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı’nda araştırma görevlisi olan Dr. Canan Özçelik’e ve lise arkadaşım, pratisyen hekim Dr. Gizem Meltem Şengönül’e teşekkür ederim. Ayrıca, Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Psikoloji lisans programından sınıf arkadaşım olan araştırma görevlisi Psikolog Elif Tiryaki’ye, istatistiksel analizde yanlılığı önlemeye yönelik desteği için teşekkür ederim.
References
- 1. Erdoğan A, Sarıca M. Neurologic and psychological effects of Chiari malformations. J Neurol Neurosci. 2021;25(3):180-192.
- 2. Karavelioğlu E, Eser O, Boyacı MG, Çelik Y. A literature review on Arnold-Chiari malformation. J Brain Neurosurg. 2011;18(4):450-460.
- 3. Topkoru S, Isik K. Chiari Type-I malformation: Epidemiology, clinical features and diagnostic methods. Neurosurg Bull. 2015;26(1):20-30.
- 4. Sayar K, Salcini M, Özten E, Eryılmaz H, Tanrıdağ A. Cognitive and emotional functions of the cerebellum: Neurological and psychiatric approaches. Psychiatry Res. 2013;12(2):210-220.
- 5. Ersoy E, Köşger F. Empathy: Definition and its importance. Osmangazi Med J. 2016;38(2):9-17.
- 6. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S. The empathy quotient: An investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. J Autism Dev Disord. 2004;34(2):163-175.
- 7. Yılmaz Y, Karademir M, Caygın T, et al. Executive functions, intellectual capacity, and psychiatric disorders in adults with Type 1 Chiari malformation. World Neurosurg. 2022;168:e607-e612.
- 8. Picerni E, Laricchiuta D, Piras F, Vecchio D, Petrosini L, Cutuli D, et al. Macro- and micro-structural cerebellar and cortical characteristics of cognitive empathy towards fictional characters in healthy individuals. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):8804.
- 9. Dawel A, O’Kearney R, McKone E, Palermo R. Not just fear and sadness: meta-analytic evidence of pervasive emotion recognition deficits for facial and vocal expressions in psychopathy. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2012;36(10):2288-304.
- 10. Shao B, Leary OP, Sayied S, Wirth L, Amaral-Nieves N, Kozel OA, et al. Cognitive-affective improvement on cerebellar neuropsychiatric rating scale scores in adults and children after decompression of Chiari malformation type I. Neurosurgery. 2022;10-1227.
- 11. GRS S, Agrawal A, Nannuru S, Vemuri K. Graph learning methods to extract empathy supporting regions in a naturalistic stimuli fMRI. arXiv [Preprint]. 2024 Mar 12 [cited 2025 Sep 27]. Available from: https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.07089.
- 12. Davis MH. Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1983;44(1):113-126.
- 13. Bora E, Baysan L. Psychometric properties of empathy scale-Turkish form in university students. Klinik Psikofarmakol Bulteni. 2009;19(1).
- 14. Schmahmann JD. From movement to thought: Anatomical substrates of the cerebellar contribution to cognitive processing. Hum Brain Mapp. 1996;4(3):174-198.
- 15. Longcamp M, Anton JL, Roth M, Velay JL. Visual presentation of single letters activates a premotor area involved in writing. Neuroimage. 2003;19(4):1492-1500.
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Objective: Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of others and to see things from their perspective. This study aimed to compare the empathy skills of adults diagnosed with Chiari Malformation Type-I with those of healthy individuals.
Methods: The study included 31 individuals (16 females, 15 males) diagnosed with Chiari Malformation Type-I and 30 healthy controls (15 females, 15 males). Participants' empathy levels were assessed using the Cambridge Behavior Scale, which evaluates four subdimensions: cognitive empathy, emotional response, social competence, and empathic concern. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Ethics committee approval (Decision No: 2023-03/24) and written informed consent were obtained from all participants.
Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of total empathy, cognitive empathy, and social competence scores. However, individuals with Chiari Malformation Type-I had significantly lower scores in emotional response and empathic concern (p < 0.05). Gender was found to have a significant effect on empathy, with females showing higher scores in certain subdimensions.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that Chiari Malformation Type-I may selectively impair emotional components of empathy. The results highlight the need for supportive strategies to enhance emotional and social functioning in affected individuals. Future studies should further investigate the role of cerebellar structures and mirror neurons in the modulation of empathic processes.
Keywords: Chiari Malformation Type-I, cognitive empathy, emotional response, social competence, empathic concern.
Keywords
Chiari Malformation Type-I cognitive empathy emotional response social competence empathic concern.
Ethical Statement
For this thesis study, the necessary permissions were obtained from the faculty ethics committee (Decision No: 2023- 03/24) and the Chief Physician of Sivas Cumhuriyet University Health Services Application and Research Hospital, and ethical rules were adhered to during the study.
Supporting Institution
Sivas Cumhuriyet University
Thanks
I would like to thank Dr. Canan Özçelik, a research assistant at Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Department of Neurosurgery, and Dr. Gizem Meltem Şengönül, my high school friend and general practitioner, for their efforts in reaching the sample. I would like to thank my classmate from Ondokuz Mayıs University Psychology undergraduate program, research assistant Psych. I would like to thank Elif Tiryaki for her support in avoiding bias in statistical analysis.
References
- 1. Erdoğan A, Sarıca M. Neurologic and psychological effects of Chiari malformations. J Neurol Neurosci. 2021;25(3):180-192.
- 2. Karavelioğlu E, Eser O, Boyacı MG, Çelik Y. A literature review on Arnold-Chiari malformation. J Brain Neurosurg. 2011;18(4):450-460.
- 3. Topkoru S, Isik K. Chiari Type-I malformation: Epidemiology, clinical features and diagnostic methods. Neurosurg Bull. 2015;26(1):20-30.
- 4. Sayar K, Salcini M, Özten E, Eryılmaz H, Tanrıdağ A. Cognitive and emotional functions of the cerebellum: Neurological and psychiatric approaches. Psychiatry Res. 2013;12(2):210-220.
- 5. Ersoy E, Köşger F. Empathy: Definition and its importance. Osmangazi Med J. 2016;38(2):9-17.
- 6. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S. The empathy quotient: An investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. J Autism Dev Disord. 2004;34(2):163-175.
- 7. Yılmaz Y, Karademir M, Caygın T, et al. Executive functions, intellectual capacity, and psychiatric disorders in adults with Type 1 Chiari malformation. World Neurosurg. 2022;168:e607-e612.
- 8. Picerni E, Laricchiuta D, Piras F, Vecchio D, Petrosini L, Cutuli D, et al. Macro- and micro-structural cerebellar and cortical characteristics of cognitive empathy towards fictional characters in healthy individuals. Sci Rep. 2021;11(1):8804.
- 9. Dawel A, O’Kearney R, McKone E, Palermo R. Not just fear and sadness: meta-analytic evidence of pervasive emotion recognition deficits for facial and vocal expressions in psychopathy. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2012;36(10):2288-304.
- 10. Shao B, Leary OP, Sayied S, Wirth L, Amaral-Nieves N, Kozel OA, et al. Cognitive-affective improvement on cerebellar neuropsychiatric rating scale scores in adults and children after decompression of Chiari malformation type I. Neurosurgery. 2022;10-1227.
- 11. GRS S, Agrawal A, Nannuru S, Vemuri K. Graph learning methods to extract empathy supporting regions in a naturalistic stimuli fMRI. arXiv [Preprint]. 2024 Mar 12 [cited 2025 Sep 27]. Available from: https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.07089.
- 12. Davis MH. Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1983;44(1):113-126.
- 13. Bora E, Baysan L. Psychometric properties of empathy scale-Turkish form in university students. Klinik Psikofarmakol Bulteni. 2009;19(1).
- 14. Schmahmann JD. From movement to thought: Anatomical substrates of the cerebellar contribution to cognitive processing. Hum Brain Mapp. 1996;4(3):174-198.
- 15. Longcamp M, Anton JL, Roth M, Velay JL. Visual presentation of single letters activates a premotor area involved in writing. Neuroimage. 2003;19(4):1492-1500.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Mental Health Services |
| Journal Section | Research Article |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | September 30, 2025 |
| Submission Date | June 3, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | August 14, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 47 Issue: 3 |
