Objective : The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of cultural empathy, and personalities on cultural competence among university students of occupational therapy. Methods : One-hundred and fifty-five university students of occupational therapy in Jeollanamdo and Gwangju completed questionnaires consisting of a demographic questionnaire, the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy(SEE), Big Fie Inventory(BFI), and (CCAI). To determine the relationships among demographic variables, cultural empathy, personalities, and cultural competence, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and regression analysis were analyzed by using SPSS 24.0 for Windows. Results : The results of the study showed the differences in neuroticism and conscientiousness by gender. Also, there were positive correlations between cultural empathy, personality, and cultural competence. Lastly, cultural empathy(β=.357), openness(β=.252), and school year(β=-.148)were significant predictors of cultural competence. Conclusion : The results of this study clarified the relationships among cultural empathy, personality, and cultural competence, and will provide data for the education program to enhance the cultural competence of undergraduates of occupational therapy.
