DIETETICS STUDENTS DECLARING A PREFERENCE FOR DIRECT WORK WITH PATIENTS SHOW A POOR PERSONALITY PREDISPOSITION TO USE THE PATIENT-CENTERED COUNSELING APPROACH
Description
The presented data refer to the study aimed to verify the assumption that a specific personality constellation allows one to predict a preference for the ways of practicing dietetics, which require direct work with the patient and building a therapeutic relationship. This cross-sectional survey study was conducted in a group of 390 dietetics students, aged 19-31 (M= 21.57, SD=1.92), studying at three purposively sampled Polish medical universities. Those declaring preference for the ways of practicing dietetics that entail direct contact with patients made up the criterion group (n=301; 77.2% of those analyzed). The control group was composed of students declaring preference for a professional path that does not imply direct work with patients. The study employed the Polish versions of the NEO-FFI Personality Inventory and the Schwartz Value Survey, as well as the authors’ own survey on the preferred career path in dietetics.