Inconclusive mediated effect of empathy on perceived stress among nurses: A comment on Wang et al. (2026)
Abstract
Using the covariance matrix reported by Wang et al., we reexamined the evidence underlying their proposed mediation model relating empathy to lower perceived stress. We show that the same pattern of associations can be accounted for by an alternative latent-variable model that does not assume the causal sequence proposed by the original authors. In this alternative formulation, self-reported empathy, occupational commitment, ego-resilience, and perceived stress are treated as indicators of a broader latent trait, core self-evaluation. The findings illustrate a general challenge in psychological research: a single covariance structure may be consistent with multiple theoretically plausible explanations. As a result, correlational data alone rarely provide a sufficient basis for favoring one theoretical account over another. We therefore argue that the evaluation of competing models should become a routine component of efforts to draw conclusions about psychological processes from observational data.
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BibTeX
@misc{sorjonen2026inconclusive,
title = {{Inconclusive mediated effect of empathy on perceived stress among nurses: A comment on Wang et al. (2026)}},
author = {Kimmo Sorjonen and Bo Melin and Marika Melin},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/syn4k_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/syn4k_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Inconclusive mediated effect of empathy on perceived stress among nurses: A comment on Wang et al. (2026)
AU - Kimmo Sorjonen
AU - Bo Melin
AU - Marika Melin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/syn4k_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/syn4k_v1/
AB - Using the covariance matrix reported by Wang et al., we reexamined the evidence underlying their proposed mediation model relating empathy to lower perceived stress. We show that the same pattern of associations can be accounted for by an alternative latent-variable model that does not assume the causal sequence proposed by the original authors. In this alternative formulation, self-reported empathy, occupational commitment, ego-resilience, and perceived stress are treated as indicators of a broader latent trait, core self-evaluation. The findings illustrate a general challenge in psychological research: a single covariance structure may be consistent with multiple theoretically plausible explanations. As a result, correlational data alone rarely provide a sufficient basis for favoring one theoretical account over another. We therefore argue that the evaluation of competing models should become a routine component of efforts to draw conclusions about psychological processes from observational data.
ER -