The Basic Empathy Scale in Adults (BES-A): Factor structure of a revised form.

Aims/objectives:A lack of empathy is associated with callous-unemotional behaviour, violence, aggression, criminality, and problems in social interaction. Empathy is, though, inconsistently defined and inadequately measured. We therefore set out to produce a new and rigorously developed empathy questionnaire that would have clinical and public-health relevance.Methods:Sixty-five questions, themed around cognitive empathy (the ability to construct a working model of the emotional states of others) and affective empathy (the ability to be sensitive to and vicariously experience the feelings of others), were administered to two independent samples of healthy volunteers (N1=640, N2=383), which were used to explore and validate the factor structure.Results:Principal components analysis revealed five factors from thirty-seven items. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this structure. The hypothesised two-factor structure (cognitive and affective empathy) was tested by adding two second order factors, indicated by the five first-order factors, and provided the best and most parsimonious fit to the data (CFI=0.961, RMSEA=0.048). Cognitive Empathy encompassed Perspective Taking and Online Simulation; Affective Empathy encompassed Emotional Responsivity, Peripheral Responsivity and Emotional Contagion. Females scored significantly higher than males on Affective Empathy but not on Cognitive Empathy. The factors correlated significantly with measures of empathic anger, impulsivity, aggression, psychopathy, Machiavellianism and empathy as measured by the Basic Empathy Scale.Conclusions:The QCAE measures the distinct and specific components that make up cognitive and affective empathy. The factor structure was confirmed in independent samples and represents a valid tool for assessing cognitive and affective empathy and its subcomponents.

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Basic Empathy Scale--Adapted Spanish Version

PsycTESTS Dataset ◽

10.1037/t41914-000 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Noelia Sánchez-Pérez ◽

Luis J. Fuentes ◽

Darrick Jolliffe ◽

Carmen González-Salinas

Keyword(s):

Spanish Version ◽

Empathy Scale ◽

Basic Empathy Scale

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Basic Empathy Scale

PsycTESTS Dataset ◽

10.1037/t42339-000 ◽

2006 ◽

Author(s):

Darrick Jolliffe ◽

David P. Farrington

Keyword(s):

Empathy Scale ◽

Basic Empathy Scale

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The Basic Empathy Scale

Empathy versus Offending, Aggression, and Bullying ◽

10.4324/9780429287459-3 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 11-29

Author(s):

Miguel Basto-Pereira ◽

David P. Farrington

Keyword(s):

Empathy Scale ◽

Basic Empathy Scale

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Psychometric properties of the Basic Empathy Scale in Polish children and adolescents

Current Psychology ◽

10.1007/s12144-020-00670-y ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Izabela Zych ◽

David P. Farrington ◽

Elena Nasaescu ◽

Darrick Jolliffe ◽

Estera Twardowska-Staszek

Keyword(s):

Psychometric Properties ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Empathy Scale ◽

Basic Empathy Scale

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Moral Sensitivity, Empathy and Prosocial Behavior: Implications for Humanization of Nursing Care

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17238914 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (23) ◽

pp. 8914

Author(s):

Iván Suazo ◽

María del Carmen Pérez-Fuentes ◽

María del Mar Molero Jurado ◽

África Martos Martínez ◽

María del Mar Simón Márquez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prosocial Behavior ◽

Cognitive Empathy ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Affective Empathy ◽

Moral Sensitivity ◽

Multiple Mediation ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Empathy Scale ◽

Basic Empathy Scale ◽

Mediation Models

Humanization of nursing is related to certain social and moral variables. Moral sensitivity, empathy, and prosocial behavior help understand a situation and make decisions that benefit the patient. The objective of this study is to find out how these variables are related, and define the differences in moral sensitivity, empathy, and prosocial behavior in humanization of nursing. We also analyzed the mediating role of empathy in the relationship between moral sensitivity and prosocial behavior. The sample was made up of 330 Spanish nurses aged 22 to 56, who completed the HUMAS Scale and adapted versions of the Basic Empathy Scale, the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire, and the Prosocial Behavior Scale. Descriptive analyses, bivariate correlations and multiple mediation models were calculated. The results found significantly different mean scores between all the groups in responsibility and moral strength, cognitive empathy, and prosocial behavior, and in moral burden, the differences were in the high-humanization-score group compared to the low-score group. Furthermore, the mediation models showed the mediating effect of cognitive empathy between the responsibility, strength, and moral burden factors on prosocial behavior, but not of affective empathy. The study concluded that humanization in nursing is closely related to moral sensitivity, cognitive empathy, and prosocial behavior. This facilitates a helping, caring, and understanding attitude toward patient needs, but without the affective flooding that affective empathy can lead to.

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