Affective Components Of Empathy Research Articles

Cognitive and Affective Empathy as Indirect Paths Between Heterogeneous Depression Symptoms on Default Mode and Salience Network Connectivity in Adolescents.

Depression amongst adolescents is a prevalent disorder consisting of heterogeneous emotional and functional symptoms-often involving impairments in social domains such as empathy. Cognitive and affective components of empathy as well as their associated neural networks (default mode network for cognitive empathy and salience network for affective empathy) are affected by depression. Depression commonly onsets during adolescence, a critical period for brain development underlying empathy. However, the available research in this area conceptualizes depression as a homogenous construct, and thereby miss to represent the full spectrum of symptoms. The present study aims to extend previous literature by testing whether cognitive and affective empathy indirectly account for associations between brain network connectivity and heterogeneous depression symptoms in adolescents. Heterogeneous functional and emotional symptoms of depression were measured using the child depression inventory. Our results indicate that cognitive empathy mediates the association between default mode network functional connectivity and emotional symptoms of depression. More specifically, that adolescents with a stronger positive association between the default mode network and cognitive empathy show lower emotional depression symptoms. This finding highlights the importance of cognitive empathy in the relationship between brain function and depression symptoms, which may be an important consideration for existing models of depression in adolescents.

Network functional connectivity underlying dissociable cognitive and affective components of empathy in adolescence

Empathy, the capacity to understand and share others' emotions, can occur through cognitive and affective components. These components are different conceptually, behaviorally, and in the brain. Neuroimaging task-based research in adolescents and adults document that cognitive empathy associates with the default mode and frontoparietal networks, whereas regions of the salience network underlie affective empathy. However, cognitive empathy is slower to mature than affective empathy and the extant literature reveals considerable developmental differences between adolescent and adult brains within and between these three networks. We extend previous work by examining empathy's association with functional connectivity within and between these networks in adolescents. Participants (n = 84, aged 13–17; 46.4% female) underwent resting state fMRI and completed self-report measures (Interpersonal Reactivity Index) for empathy as part of a larger Nathan-Kline Institute study. Regression analyses revealed adolescents reporting higher cognitive empathy had higher within DMN connectivity. Post hoc analysis revealed cognitive empathy's association within DMN connectivity is independent of affective empathy or empathy in general; and this association is driven by positive pairwise connections between the bilateral angular gyri and medial prefrontal cortex. These results suggest introspective cognitive processes related to the DMN are specifically important for cognitive empathy in adolescence.

ЭМПАТИЯ И ИМПЛИЦИТНЫЕ ТЕОРИИ ЭМОЦИЙ И ЛИЧНОСТИ (НА КИТАЙСКОЙ ВЫБОРКЕ)

Background. Empathy is widely recognized as a multifaceted trait that includes cognitive and emotional components. The Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCEI) (Reniers et al., 2011) has been widely used in many countries. However, the question of its factor structure as applied to the Chinese samples was not resolved in two previous works Our approbation allowed us to clarify its psychometric characteristics, which is important for its further application in China and in cross-cultural studies.The problem of the relationship between the implicit theories (IT) of emotions and personality and empathy, which has not yet been investigated, is also relevant. Objective. 1) re-adaptation of the QCEI questionnaire on a Chinese sample, 2) testing hypotheses about the connections of implicit theories of personality and the ability to control emotions with the cognitive and affective components of empathy (on a Chinese sample). Design. 1,319 Chinese participants completed the QCEI questionnaire, of which 520 in person and 799 through online communication. Their data was randomly split into two samples. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out for the first sample, and confirmatory factor analysis was done for the second one. These 1319 people filled out the questionnaire of implicit theories of emotions (ITE). 520 participants filled out the questionnaire of implicit theories of personality (ITP) as well. To assess the convergent validity of our Chinese version of the QCAE questionnaire 799 participants also completed the M. Davis IRI empathy questionnaire. Results. A four-factor QCAE model was established for the Chinese sample (as opposed to the author’s five-factor model); IRI components are significantly positively correlated with QCAE components, which indicates the commonality of their nomological network. Based on the fact that the incrementality index for ITE is significantly and positively correlated with cognitive empathy, we accepted the hypothesis of the cognitive component as the leading one in the person’s assumption about the possibility of controlling emotions. The ITP incrementality index positively correlates only with the “Adjustment” subscale, which indicates a lower representation of the cognitive component in ITP in the Chinese sample. It follows from our results that the hypothesis on the connection of the affective component of empathy with the IT of emotions and personality can be rejected.

Knowing What Others Think and Feel: Empathic Accuracy Across Adulthood

Empathic accuracy is the ability to infer another person's inner states. While early findings suggested older adults to be less empathically accurate on average than younger individuals, the context dependency of such age differences was emphasized more recently. Comparable empathic accuracy was observed in older and younger empathizers when conversational topics were positive or personally relevant or when empathic judgments were solely based on prior knowledge of the target. Motivational and cognitive mechanisms are assumed to underlie this context-dependent pattern of findings. A refined future understanding of the sources of variation in empathic skills within and across age groups will require unraveling the contributions of the empathizer, the target person, and their relationship. Moreover, improved insights into the implications of empathic skills in various phases of adulthood, including older adults’ social functioning and health, will require joint consideration of cognitive and affective components of empathy and their accompanying physiological processes.

Validation of the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy in patients with schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder

ABSTRACT Introduction Alteration of empathy is common in patients with psychiatric disorders. Reliable and valid assessment tools for measuring empathy of clinical samples is needed. The Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) is a newly-developed instrument to capture cognitive and affective components of empathy. This study aimed to validate the QCAE and compared self-reported empathy between clinical groups with varied psychiatric diagnoses and healthy sample. Methods The present study performed factor analysis for the QCAE on clinical samples in the Chinese setting (n = 534), including patients with schizophrenia (n = 158), bipolar disorder (n = 213) and major depressive disorder (n = 163). Internal consistency, internal correlation and convergent validity was examined in the subsample (n = 361). Group comparison among patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and healthy controls (n = 107) was conducted to assess the discriminant validity. Results Our results indicated acceptable factor model, good reliability and validity of the QCAE. Impaired cognitive empathy was found in clinical samples, especially in patients with schizophrenia, while higher affective empathy was found in patients with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Conclusion The QCAE is a useful tool in assessing empathy in patients with varied psychiatric diagnoses.

Applying network analysis to investigate the links between dimensional schizotypy and cognitive and affective empathy

BackgroundAlthough impairment in empathy has been reported in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, little is known about the relationship between empathy and schizotypal traits. This study examines this relationship by applying network analysis to a large sample collected at 18-months follow-up in a longitudinal dataset. MethodsOne thousand four hundred and eighty-six college students were recruited and completed a set of self-reported questionnaires on empathy, schizotypy, depression, anxiety and stress. Networks were constructed by taking the subscale scores of these measures as nodes and partial correlations between each pair of nodes as edges. Network Comparison Tests were performed to investigate the differences between individuals with high and low schizotypy. ResultsCognitive and affective empathy were strongly connected with negative schizotypy in the network. Physical and social anhedonia showed high centrality measured by strength, closeness and betweenness while anxiety and stress showed high expected influence. Predictability ranged from 22.4% (personal distress) to 79.9% (anxiety) with an average of 54.4%. Compared with the low schizotypy group, the high schizotypy group showed higher global strength (S = 0.813, p < 0.05) and significant differences in network structure (M = 0.531, p < 0.001) and strength of edges connecting empathy with schizotypy (adjusted ps < 0.05). LimitationsOnly self-rating scales were used, and disorganized schizotypy was not included. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the cognitive and affective components of empathy and dimensions of schizotypy are closely related in the general population and their network interactions may play an important role in individuals with high schizotypy.

EMPATIA DE ESTUDANTES DE ENFERMAGEM EM ATIVIDADE CLÍNICA SIMULADA

Objetivo: identificar e avaliar a empatia de estudantes de enfermagem antes e após atividade clínica simulada.Método: trata-se de um estudo quantitativo e quase-experimental, realizado no interior do Estado de São Paulo. Fizeram parte do estudo 107 estudantes de graduação em enfermagem. Foi construído e validado um cenário de simulação clínica de média fidelidade. A empatia foi avaliada por meio do Inventário de Empatia antes e após a atividade clínica simulada.Resultados: houve mudanças positivas após a atividade clínica simulada nos componentes cognitivos da empatia e não houve mudanças, em partes, no componente afetivo da empatia.Conclusão: a atividade clínica simulada bem delineada em um cenário de simulação clínica validada foi capaz de melhorar o componente cognitivo da empatia, porém não foi passível de mudanças no componente afetivo da empatia, o qual transfigura em sentimentos de compaixão e altruísmo.

The mediating role of cognitive and affective empathy in the relationship of mindfulness with engagement in nursing

BackgroundThe work of health professionals is characterized by a high demand for psychological and emotional resources and high levels of stress. Therefore, the promotion of commitment and job well-being through strategies such as increased mindfulness, is important among nursing workers. Although mindfulness has shown positive effects in the health field, few studies have explored the mechanisms and processes underlying these results. We investigated the mediating role of empathy (cognitive/affective) in the effect of mindfulness on the dimensions of engagement in nursing professionals.MethodsSample was comprised of 1268 Spanish nurses between 22 and 62 years old, that completed the Utrecht Labor Engagement Scale and the adapted versions of Mindful Attention Awareness Scale and Basic Empathy Scale. The relationship between variables to be included in the regression analyses, bivariate correlations were carried out, and the descriptive statistics of these variables were also found. To estimate the mediation model was used, in this case for multiple mediation effects.ResultsMindfulness is found to affect the Vigor and Dedication factors of engagement through cognitive empathy. While for the Absorption factor, the affective component of empathy also exerts a mediating role, although weaker than cognitive empathy. Cognitive empathy, as an individual factor, was shown to have a mediating effect between mindfulness and the factors of engagement in healthcare workers.ConclusionsThe level of mindfulness influences engagement of nursing professionals positively, and this result is mediated mainly by cognitive empathy. Both mindfulness and empathy are modifiable individual factors, so their intervention by designing and implementing specific programs, can increase the commitment and wellbeing of professionals generating benefits to workers and to their patients.

The Neural Basis of Empathy and Empathic Behavior in the Context of Chronic Trauma.

Background: Accumulating evidence in social neuroscience suggests that mature human empathy relies on the integration of two types of processes: a lower-order process mainly tapping into automatic and sensory mechanisms and a higher-order process involving affect and cognition and modulated by top-down control. Studies have also indicated that neural measures of empathy often correlate with behavioral measures of empathy. Yet, little is known on the effects of chronic trauma on the neural and behavioral indices of empathy and the associations among them. Methods: Mothers exposed to chronic war-related trauma and nonexposed controls (N = 88, N = 41 war-exposed) underwent magnetoencephalography (MEG) while watching stimuli depicting vicarious emotional distress. Maternal empathic behavior was assessed during mother–child interaction involving a joint task. Results: Empathy-evoking vignettes elicited response in alpha rhythms in a network involving both sensorimotor and viceromotor (anterior insula) regions, suggesting integration of the sensory and affective components of empathy. Whereas exposure to chronic stress did not affect the level of neural activations in this network, it reduced maternal empathic behavior. Furthermore, trauma exposure impaired the coherence of brain and behavior; only among controls, but not among trauma-exposed mothers, the neural basis of empathy was predicted by maternal empathic behavior. Conclusions: Chronic stress takes a toll on the mother’s empathic ability and indirectly impacts the neural basis of empathy by disrupting the coherence of brain and behavior.

Self-Perception, Empathy and Moral Self-Concept Predict Moral Concerns in Adults

Abstract Moral concerns are socio-intuitive processes comprising individual and collective aspects modulated by social cognition. In this sense, the objective of this study was to investigate the relationship among self-consciousness, empathy, and individualizing (IMC) and binding moral concerns (BMC). Therefore, outlined a quantitative study in which 341 Brazilian adults (63% female) answered the instruments: Self-Reflection and Insight Scale, Empathy Scale, Moral Self-Concept Scale, and Moral Foundations Questionnaire. Data were submitted to a multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicated a positive association among IMC, moral self-concept, empathic concern and personal distress. Regarding BMC, self-reflection and perspective-taking presented negative association, as moral self-conception and empathic concern were associated positively. It is concluded that affective components of empathy and moral self-concept are good predictors of moral concerns and that high-order metacognitive processes are not predictors of IMC, but negative predictors of BMC.

The Association of Readiness for Interprofessional Learning with empathy, motivation and professional identity development in medical students

BackgroundThe Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale is among the first scales developed for measurement of attitude towards interprofessional learning (IPL). However, the conceptual framework of the RIPLS still lacks clarity. We investigated the association of the RIPLS with professional identity, empathy and motivation, with the intention of relating RIPLS to other well-known concepts in healthcare education, in an attempt to clarify the concept of readiness.MethodsReadiness for interprofessional learning, professional identity development, empathy and motivation of students for medical school, were measured in all 6 years of the medical curriculum. The association of professional identity development, empathy and motivation with readiness was analyzed using linear regression.ResultsEmpathy and motivation significantly explained the variance in RIPLS subscale Teamwork & Collaboration. Gender and belonging to the first study year had a unique positive contribution in explaining the variance of the RIPLS subscales Positive and Negative Professional Identity, whereas motivation had no contribution. More compassionate care, as an affective component of empathy, seemed to diminish readiness for IPL. Professional Identity, measured as affirmation or denial of the identification with a professional group, had no contribution in the explanation of the variance in readiness.ConclusionsThe RIPLS is a suboptimal instrument, which does not clarify the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of IPL in a curriculum. This study suggests that students’ readiness for IPE may benefit from a combination with the cognitive component of empathy (‘Perspective taking’) and elements in the curriculum that promote autonomous motivation.

Emotion Regulation and Empathy: Which Relation with Social Conduct?

ABSTRACTA shared consensus among researchers deals with the positive association between the ability to effectively regulate and manage one's emotion and the engagement in empathic behavior and morally desirable actions. This study was designed to investigate how dispositional reliance on suppression and reappraisal differently impacted on the cognitive and affective components of empathy and on social conduct, distinguishing among prosocial, internalizing, and externalizing behaviors. Two hundred nineteen middle adolescents were enrolled and fulfilled self-reports assessing emotion regulation strategies, empathy, and social behaviors. The results suggest that there are important distinctions among the emotion regulation strategies and the components of empathy as they relate to one another and to prosocial behavior and problem conduct. Specifically, cognitive reappraisal was related to prosocial behavior through empathic concern. While internalizing behavior was associated with emotion regulation strategies, externalizing behavior was only related to perspective-taking ability. Delimitations and practical implications were discussed.

Empatičnost delinkventnih adolescenata

Taking into account the findings of the negative correlation of empathy and delinquent behavior in adolescence, as well as the results of studies that show that the nature of this relationship varies depending on the components of empathy, a survey was conducted with the aim to determine whether delinquent adolescents differ from their peers in empathy, or whether there are statistically significant differences in the level of cognitive and affective components of empathy between these groups. The sample consisted of 120 male adolescents, divided into two groups. The first group consisted of young offenders who, at the time of the research, were located in the Correctional Home for Juveniles in Krusevac serving the educational measure of committal to an educational-correctional institution, while the other was a control group consisting of students of secondary vocational schools in Belgrade who did not have a history of delinquent behavior in terms of frequency, duration, and seriousness. Basic Empathy Scale was used for the assessment (BES; Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006). The obtained results confirm the general assumption that delinquent adolescents are less empathetic than their peers in secondary schools. On the total empathy scale delinquents generated statistically significantly lower scores than their peers, wherein the differences were also retained by controlling the age of subjects. When we look at the components of empathy, the results indicate that delinquent adolescents have lower cognitive, but not affective empathy than their peers. On the basis of previously obtained results practical implications for intervention planning of treatment and prevention of delinquency were derived.

The role of empathy in entrepreneurial opportunity recognition: An experimental study in Japan and Pakistan

Abstract The paper investigates the role of perspective taking and empathic concern as cognitive and affective components of empathy in entrepreneurial opportunity recognition. The results of the scenario-based experimental study using the samples of undergraduate business students in Japan and Pakistan suggest that, although the use of perspective taking in the entrepreneurial context helps individuals in recognizing opportunities as the previous study found, the use of both perspective taking and emphasizing empathic concern increases the ability of opportunity recognition more than the use of perspective taking only. We discuss theoretical and practical implications and future research directions.

Development and empirical evaluation of a new empathy questionnaire for early adolescents

The paper presents the construction and initial validation data on a new instrument intended to measure empathy in early adolescents. Research on adults mostly supports the hypothesis of a cognitive and an affective component of empathy, but the structure of empathy in children is less clear. In designing this instrument, empathy was conceptualized as rather stable disposition composed of the suggested cognitive and affective dimensions. The questionnaire was administered on two samples of elementary school students (n1 = 202; n2 = 133). Average age in both samples was 12 years, with boys and girls equally represented. The analyses, including EFA, CFA, and validity evidence based on relationships with demographic data and some personality traits, suggest a general empathy factor and a reverse coding method factor. The results are interpreted in light of existing theories and previous empirical findings published on empathy measures, with a special emphasis on methodological issues encountered. Keywords: empathy, dimensionality, early adolescents, CFA

Cognitive and affective components of empathy and their relationship with personality dimensions in a Chinese sample

Empathy is an essential component of social interactions and may be related to personality characteristics. However, this issue has not been extensively examined in a Chinese sample. Students at six universities in China (N = 257) completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire‐Revised (EPQ‐R), and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21). Using multiple regression analyses, and after accounting for demographic variables (sex and age), it was found that the affective empathy component Personal Distress positively predicted EPQ‐R Neuroticism scores (β = .49), negatively predicted Extraversion (β = –.21) and Lie scale scores (β = –.22), and positively predicted DASS‐21 Depression (β = .26), Anxiety (β = .34) and Stress scores (β = .39). Empathic Concern positively predicted Lie Scale scores (β = .21), and negatively predicted Psychoticism scores (β = –.24). Individuals with high scores in Empathic Concern were also found to score more highly on Fantasy, Personal Distress, Neuroticism, Stress and Anxiety. Thus, more empathic individuals are likely to experience elevations in negative affectivity when they perceive the emotional suffering of others.

Clinical symptomatology and empathy in schizophrenia: Which relationship?

IntroductionThe impairment of cognitive and affective empathy among patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) may represent a significant feature of the illness. However, the relationship between those impairment and dimensions of psychosis remains unclear.ObjectivesTo explore whether cognitive and affective empathy are associated with severety of different psychotic symptoms.MethodsCognitive and affective empathy were evaluated in 58 patients with stable schizophrenia with the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) comprising five subscales intended to assess cognitive and affective components of empathy. Symptomatology evaluation comprised the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) and the Clinical Global Impressions Scale Improvement and severity (CGI).ResultsPatients with better cognitive empathy had less total CDSS scores (P = 0.036, r = −0.449) and lower CGI-severity scale scores (P = 0.01, r = −0.536). Patients with better affective empathy had lower scores (which means a better improvement) at the CGI-improvement scale (P = 0.03, r = −0.461).ConclusionsOur results suggest that empathy with its different component is not totally independent of the clinical state of the patient. Further studies are required to confirm whether empathy deficits are state or trait aspects of SCZ.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Is empathy correlated to patients’ level of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia?

IntroductionEmpathy, which refers to the ability to understand and share the thoughts and feelings of others, may be compromised in schizophrenia (SCZ). Yet the relationship between empathy and neurocognitive functioning remains unclear.ObjectivesTo explore whether cognitive and affective empathy are associated with the neurocognitive functioning in SCZ.MethodsFifty-eight outpatients with stable SCZ completed the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) comprising five subscales intended to assess cognitive and affective components of empathy. They also completed a neurocognitive battery comprising the following tests: the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test–Revised (HVLT-R), the Letter Digit Substitution Test (LDST), the Stroop Test (ST), the “Double Barrage” of Zazzo (DBZ), the Modified Card Sorting Test (MCST), Verbal Fluency (VF), the Trail Making Test-Part A (TMT-A) and the Digit Span (DS).ResultsBetter affective and cognitive empathy correlated with better performance in the ST (less hesitations and less errors). Patients with better cognitive empathy performed better in the MCST (more categories achieved; P = 0.029) and in the LDST (more substitutions per minute; P = 0.031).ConclusionsOur results bolster support for the presence of an association between NF and the decreased cognitive and affective empathy in schizophrenia.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Educational Research Report: Changes in Students' Levels of Empathy during the Didactic Portion of a Veterinary Program.

Empathy can be defined as the ability to understand and connect with the emotional state and frame of mind of another. Establishing connections with others is a crucial skill for veterinarians who must earn the trust and compliance of their clients to provide quality care for their patients. This is a longitudinal study using the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to assess changes in veterinary students' self-reported empathy as they progressed through the didactic portion of the DVM program at Colorado State University. The IRI consists of four subscales that measure cognitive and affective components of empathy: Perspective Taking, Fantasy, Emphatic Concern, and Personal Distress. Data were collected at three time points, corresponding to the start of the first year, the fourth semester (second year), and the fifth semester (third year). Results showed an overall decline in Perspective Taking scores, with a significant decrease between first and second year. There was an overall increase in students' levels of Personal Distress as they progressed through the program. The significant difference was found between years 1 and 3. This is especially concerning because the enhanced unease in interpersonal interactions coincides with students entering clinical rotations in the third year-the very time when these traits are necessary for quality client and patient care. Veterinary educators are urged to use this information as a basis for investigating novel curricular and programmatic interventions to counteract these changes in student empathy.

Анксиозност поврзана со смртта кај млади возрасни: полови разлики и емоционални корелати

Death anxiety is defined as an emotional response to awareness of death, including fear of personal mortality, which is not caused by an imminent threat to life. Numerous empirical findings suggest that the period of early adulthood is marked by a higtened fear or anxiety associated with death and dying, and that this type of anxiety is usually more prominent in females. According to the Terror Management Theory, adult attachment represents a distant defense from mortality salience and the transience of life. The study presented in this paper was conducted in order to examine sex differences in death anxiety in young adults, to analyze the relationship between death anxiety and certain emotional correlates (aging anxiety, empathy and adult attachment),as well as to assess the contribution of each emotional correlate in the prediction of death anxiety. The participants in the study were 435 undergraduate students from two universities in Macedonia. The data was gathered with Templer/McMordie Death Anxiety Scale, Anxiety about Aging Scale, Interpersonal Reactivity Index and Adult Attachment Scale. The assessment of sex differences showed that females feel significantly more anxious and fearful than males when thinking about death. Nearly all tested correlates were significantly associated with anxiety as a response to awareness of death, but the highest correlation exists between death anxiety and aging anxiety, personal distress and emphatic concern as affective components of empathy, and anxious attachment.The first three correlates are significant predictors of death anxiety, that explain over a third in its variance. The findings are aligned with developmental aspects of death anxiety and terror management theory. Keywords: death anxiety, aging anxiety, empathy, adult attachment, terror management theory