scholarly journals Dissociating cognitive and affective empathy in unipolar depression

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Jake Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Unipolar Depression ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Depression Treatment ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Interpersonal Difficulties ◽  
Empathy Deficits

One aspect of higher order social cognition is empathy, a psychological construct comprising a cognitive (i.e., recognizing emotions) and an affective (i.e., responding to emotions) component. Empathy deficits have been linked to executive and emotion regulation dysfunction in depression that might underlie a patient’s interpersonal difficulties. However, most studies measure empathy through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), which may not accurately capture affective empathy. Critically, prior studies have not examined a potential dissociation between cognitive and affective empathy in depressed individuals. In Study 1, a factor analysis determined the appropriateness of using the IRI to measure affective empathy. Results showed poor model fit with the affective empathy factor. In Study 2, we developed a behavioral measure of empathy, and examined differences in empathic processing as it relates to depression and ruminative thought. Results revealed differences in empathy between depressed and healthy controls, as well as differences by level of rumination. We discuss the implications of these findings for depression treatment.

scholarly journals Dissociating cognitive and affective empathy in unipolar depression

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Jake Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Unipolar Depression ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Depression Treatment ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Interpersonal Difficulties ◽  
Empathy Deficits

One aspect of higher order social cognition is empathy, a psychological construct comprising a cognitive (i.e., recognizing emotions) and an affective (i.e., responding to emotions) component. Empathy deficits have been linked to executive and emotion regulation dysfunction in depression that might underlie a patient’s interpersonal difficulties. However, most studies measure empathy through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), which may not accurately capture affective empathy. Critically, prior studies have not examined a potential dissociation between cognitive and affective empathy in depressed individuals. In Study 1, a factor analysis determined the appropriateness of using the IRI to measure affective empathy. Results showed poor model fit with the affective empathy factor. In Study 2, we developed a behavioral measure of empathy, and examined differences in empathic processing as it relates to depression and ruminative thought. Results revealed differences in empathy between depressed and healthy controls, as well as differences by level of rumination. We discuss the implications of these findings for depression treatment.

Assessing Cognitive and Affective Empathy Through the Interpersonal Reactivity Index

Assessment ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 769-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangelia G. Chrysikou ◽  
W. Jake Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Interpersonal Reactivity Index ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
First Time

One aspect of higher order social cognition is empathy, a psychological construct comprising a cognitive (recognizing emotions) and an affective (responding to emotions) component. The complex nature of empathy complicates the accurate measurement of these components. The most widely used measure of empathy is the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). However, the factor structure of the IRI as it is predominantly used in the psychological literature differs from Davis’s original four-factor model in that it arbitrarily combines the subscales to form two factors: cognitive and affective empathy. This two-factor model of the IRI, although popular, has yet to be examined for psychometric support. In the current study, we examine, for the first time, the validity of this alternative model. A confirmatory factor analysis showed poor model fit for this two-factor structure. Additional analyses offered support for the original four-factor model, as well as a hierarchical model for the scale. In line with previous findings, females scored higher on the IRI than males. Our findings indicate that the IRI, as it is currently used in the literature, does not accurately measure cognitive and affective empathy and highlight the advantages of using the original four-factor structure of the scale for empathy assessments.

scholarly journals Empathy and Its Relationship With Social Functioning in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daan Jan Kuis ◽  
Tara van de Giessen ◽  
Steven de Jong ◽  
Bouwina Esther Sportel ◽  
Nynke Boonstra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Affective Empathy ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Ultra High Risk

Introduction: Social functioning is often impaired in the ultra-high-risk (UHR) phase of psychosis. There is some evidence that empathy is also impaired in this phase and that these impairments may underlie difficulties in social functioning. The main aim of this study was to investigate whether cognitive and affective empathy are lower in people in the UHR phase of psychosis in comparison to healthy controls, and whether possible impairments have the same magnitude as in people with schizophrenia. A second aim was to examine whether there is a relationship between empathy and social functioning in individuals in the UHR phase.Method: Forty-three individuals at UHR for psychosis, 92 people with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, and 49 persons without a psychiatric disorder completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE), and Faux Pas as instruments to measure empathy. The Time Use survey was used to measure social functioning. MAN(C)OVA was used to analyse differences between groups on empathy and social functioning, and correlations were calculated between empathy measures and social functioning for each group.Results: The UHR group presented significantly lower levels of self-reported cognitive empathy than the healthy controls, but not compared to patients with SSD, while performance-based cognitive empathy was unimpaired in the UHR group. On the affective measures, we found that people with UHR and patients with SSD had significantly higher levels of self-reported distress in interpersonal settings compared to healthy controls. In the UHR group, perspective-taking was negatively associated with time spent on structured social activities. In the SSD group, we found that structured social activities were positively associated with perspective-taking and negatively associated with personal distress in interactions with others. Lastly, in people without mental illness, social activities were positively associated with performance-based perspective-taking.Conclusion: Impairments in subjective cognitive empathy appear to be present in the UHR phase, suggesting that difficulties in interpreting the thoughts and feelings of others precede the onset of psychotic disorders. This can inform future interventions in the UHR phase.

Factorial Structure of the Therapist Adherence Measure-Revised (TAM-R) Within Multisystemic Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 427-431
Author(s):  
Aurelie M. C. Lange ◽  
Marc J. M. H. Delsing ◽  
Ron H. J. Scholte ◽  
Rachel E. A. van der Rijken
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Multisystemic Therapy ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Adherence Measure ◽  
Therapist Adherence ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
The Us

Abstract. The Therapist Adherence Measure (TAM-R) is a central assessment within the quality-assurance system of Multisystemic Therapy (MST). Studies into the validity and reliability of the TAM in the US have found varying numbers of latent factors. The current study aimed to reexamine its factor structure using two independent samples of families participating in MST in the Netherlands. The factor structure was explored using an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in Sample 1 ( N = 580). This resulted in a two-factor solution. The factors were labeled “therapist adherence” and “client–therapist alliance.” Four cross-loading items were dropped. Reliability of the resulting factors was good. This two-factor model showed good model fit in a subsequent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) in Sample 2 ( N = 723). The current finding of an alliance component corroborates previous studies and fits with the focus of the MST treatment model on creating engagement.

Probability-Based and Measurement-Related Hypotheses With Full Restriction for Investigations by Means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Methodology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 157-164
Author(s):  
Karl Schweizer
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Latent Variables ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Repeated Measures Data ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
And Performance

Probability-based and measurement-related hypotheses for confirmatory factor analysis of repeated-measures data are investigated. Such hypotheses comprise precise assumptions concerning the relationships among the true components associated with the levels of the design or the items of the measure. Measurement-related hypotheses concentrate on the assumed processes, as, for example, transformation and memory processes, and represent treatment-dependent differences in processing. In contrast, probability-based hypotheses provide the opportunity to consider probabilities as outcome predictions that summarize the effects of various influences. The prediction of performance guided by inexact cues serves as an example. In the empirical part of this paper probability-based and measurement-related hypotheses are applied to working-memory data. Latent variables according to both hypotheses contribute to a good model fit. The best model fit is achieved for the model including latent variables that represented serial cognitive processing and performance according to inexact cues in combination with a latent variable for subsidiary processes.

A Comparison of Reliability Estimation Based on Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Structural Equation Models

2021 ◽  
pp. 001316442110089
Author(s):  
Yuanshu Fu ◽  
Zhonglin Wen ◽  
Yang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Reliability Estimation ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Factor Loadings ◽  
Reliability Estimates ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Composite Reliability

Composite reliability, or coefficient omega, can be estimated using structural equation modeling. Composite reliability is usually estimated under the basic independent clusters model of confirmatory factor analysis (ICM-CFA). However, due to the existence of cross-loadings, the model fit of the exploratory structural equation model (ESEM) is often found to be substantially better than that of ICM-CFA. The present study first illustrated the method used to estimate composite reliability under ESEM and then compared the difference between ESEM and ICM-CFA in terms of composite reliability estimation under various indicators per factor, target factor loadings, cross-loadings, and sample sizes. The results showed no apparent difference in using ESEM or ICM-CFA for estimating composite reliability, and the rotation type did not affect the composite reliability estimates generated by ESEM. An empirical example was given as further proof of the results of the simulation studies. Based on the present study, we suggest that if the model fit of ESEM (regardless of the utilized rotation criteria) is acceptable but that of ICM-CFA is not, the composite reliability estimates based on the above two models should be similar. If the target factor loadings are relatively small, researchers should increase the number of indicators per factor or increase the sample size.

Development of the Adherence to Healthy Behaviors Scale

2021 ◽  
pp. 105477382098862
Author(s):  
Chen-Hui Huang ◽  
Dhea Natashia ◽  
Tzu-Chia Lin ◽  
Miaofen Yen
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Healthy Behaviors ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Reliable Instrument ◽  
Principal Axis Factor Analysis ◽  
Southern Taiwan ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Adherence to healthy behaviors is a protective factor in the disease progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Measuring adherence can lead to the recognition of unhealthy behaviors and the suggestion of programs to prevent poor health outcomes. An assessment measurement for patients with CKD not requiring dialysis was developed and psychometrically tested. A convenience sample ( n = 330) of patients with CKD attending a nephrology clinic in southern Taiwan completed the 13-item Adherence to Healthy Behaviors Scale (AHBS). A principal axis factor analysis and a parallel analysis demonstrated a three-factor structure accounting for 47.16% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good model fit. The criterion-related validity was adequate ( r = .51; p < .000), with a Cronbach’s alpha of .70; the test-retest reliability demonstrated good stability ( r = .70; p < .000). The AHBS is a valid, reliable instrument to assess adherence to healthy behaviors among patients with CKD.

scholarly journals Neural effects of cognitive–behavioural therapy on dysfunctional attitudes in depression

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 1425-1433 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sankar ◽  
J. Scott ◽  
A. Paszkiewicz ◽  
V. P. Giampietro ◽  
H. Steiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Depressive Episode ◽  
Parietal Lobe ◽  
Unipolar Depression ◽  
Behavioural Therapy ◽  
Dysfunctional Attitudes ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Functional Neuroanatomy ◽  
Attentional Processing ◽  
Cognitive Behavioural

BackgroundDysfunctional attitudes are a feature of depression that has been correlated with receptor binding abnormalities in limbic and cortical regions. We sought to investigate the functional neuroanatomy of dysfunctional attitudes in major depressive disorder (MDD) and the effects of treatment with cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT).MethodParticipants were 16 patients with unipolar depression in an acute depressive episode (mean age 40.0 years) and 16 matched healthy controls (mean age 39.9 years). Patients were medication free and received a course of treatment with CBT. All participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans at baseline and at week 16, prior to the initiation of therapy and following the course of CBT for patients. During each fMRI scan, participants indicated their attributions to statements from a modified Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (mDAS-48).ResultsMDD patients in an acute depressive episode endorsed a greater number of extreme responses to DAS statements, which normalized following CBT treatment. Extreme attributions were associated with greater activation in the left hippocampal region, inferior parietal lobe and precuneus in MDD patients as compared with healthy controls as a main effect of group. An interaction effect was found in the left parahippocampal region, which showed less attenuation in MDD patients at the follow-up scan relative to healthy controls.ConclusionsAttenuation of activity in the parahippocampal region may be indicative of an improvement in dysfunctional thinking following CBT treatment in depression, while persistent engagement of regions involved in attentional processing and memory retrieval with extreme attributions reflects a trait feature of depression.

scholarly journals Development and Validation of News Addiction Scale

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Ghulam Ishaq ◽  
Saba Ghayas ◽  
Adnan Adil
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Behavioral Activation ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Principal Axis Factoring ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Unidimensional Structure ◽  
Purposive Sample

The current study was undertaken in order to construct a psychometrically sound measure of news addiction for Pakistani people. The research comprised of three studies. The first study dealt with the development of News Addiction Scale (NAS) for Pakistani people. The items of the scale were empirically determined for content validation and an exploratory factor analysis was undertaken on a purposive sample of 247 individuals (men = 183, women = 64; with a mean age of 40.1 years, SD = 15.2 years). Thirty items were subjected to Principal Axis Factoring and the resulting scree plot and Eigenvalues evidenced a single factor solution with 19 items, which accounted for 53.96% of the variance. In the second study, a confirmatory factor analysis was carried out on a sample of 240 participants and the results revealed an excellent model fit to the data, which validated the unidimensional structure of the scale. Study III of the present research was conducted on a purposive sample of 100 individuals and it provided a convincing evidence of convergent validity of the scale as significant positive correlation was observed between news addiction and behavioral activation and concurrent validity as individuals with more duration of exposure had significantly higher mean score on the NAS. Across the two studies, the Cronbach alpha of the scale remained ≥ .90. These pieces of evidence suggested that NAS would be a promising indigenous measure of news addiction.

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