Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop a measure to evaluate the management of empathic capacity. To this end, two studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 277, 172 females) describes the scale creation procedure, factorial validity, and internal consistency. The exploratory factor analysis yielded a five-factor model with 18 items (62.4% of the variance explained). The dimensions were as follows: D1: identification, D2: incorporation, D3: reverberation, D4: separation, and D5: projection. The internal consistency was good (alpha values ranging from 0.70 to 0.80). Study 2 (N = 480, 323 females) examined the validity (including convergent validity) of the model and the relationships with sociodemographic variables. The five-factor model showed a robust goodness of fit, χ2 = 240.5, p < 0.001, root mean square residual (RMSR) = 0.05. The fit indices were satisfactory, Non-normed fit index (NNFI) = 0.89, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.90, mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.04. The convergent validity analysis showed that, as empathy management increased, so too did the empathy level and emotional intelligence. Some differences by age and sex were found. In conclusion, the Empathy Management Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for analyzing the empathic process that allows vulnerabilities and strengths to be estimated, which could improve professional practice in the healthcare context.
Highlights
Over the past few decades, empathy has been widely studied in the context of medicine, nursing, and other healthcare professions
One of the tested models had an acceptable fit to the data, so measurement invariance by sex and age groups was analyzed only for that model based on a forward approach [55]
The Empathy Management Scale (EMS) assumes that empathy is a multidimensional construct, and describes empathy processes based on cognitive and emotional dimensions
Summary
Over the past few decades, empathy has been widely studied in the context of medicine, nursing, and other healthcare professions. Empathy is necessary for successful professional–user interactions [1]; it plays a relevant role in therapeutic relationships and the quality of care [2,3,4]. Empathy is related to personal welfare (e.g., preventing burnout in healthcare professionals) [5]. Most scientific studies have focused on defining empathy and explaining the underlying mechanisms and processes [6,7,8,9]. Studies have focused on the measurement of empathy. Existing instruments mainly capture the degree of empathy that an individual has or the development among its components [10,11,12]
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