The Comparison of Empathy, Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in LeftHanded and Right-Handed Medical and Paramedical Students

The brain laterality is meant to make a difference in the function of both brain hemisphere and may be associated with some components of mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate of empathy, stress, anxiety, and depression in lefthanded and right-handed medical and paramedical students. The study design is a causal-comparative. The study population included all students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2013-2014. The sampling was conducted on a stratified random procedure and 168 people were studied. The research instruments were including Edinburgh handedness inventory, Baron- Cohen scale for empathy quotient, and depression, anxiety, and stress Scale (DASS). Finally, SPSS 20 was utilized to analyze the data using multivariate analysis of variance. The results showed there is only significant differences between the groups in term of emotional reactivity subscale and levels of emotional reactivity is higher in the left-handed group. Similarly, there is significant difference between the left-handed and right-handed groups in term of the rate of anxiety and anxiety levels were significantly higher in the right-handed people. However, there was no difference between the groups in terms of stress and depression. The laterality of the brain hemispheres is a determining factor in the emotional and psychological state of individuals; So that increased emotional reactivity in left-handed people is justified due to the fundamental role of the right hemisphere in expressing emotions. The findings related to anxiety are debatable.