Study On Reliability And Validity And Preliminary Application Of The Basic Empathy Scale

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES) and to explore the gender and age differences in Chinese children and adolescents. BES-C was used to explore the relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior and the empathy deficits of adolescents with different types of conduct disorder.MethodsThe Chinese version of Basic Empathy Scale (BES-C) was developed using the back-translation method and was administered to a sample of Chinese students (N=1524) aged 9 to 18 and 65 conduct disordered adolescent males aged 13 to 18 with the purpose to revise BES and to explore the empathy deficits of adolescents with conduct disorder. SDQ and KMS were also administered to 207 middle students to explore the relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior.The data was analyzed by EFA, CFA, Person relation, t-test, analysis of variance, regression analysis and structural equation model.Results1. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the original model obtained in the British sample did not fit this Chinese sample well. However, the deletion of four items (items 2,3,4, and 15) resulted in a modified model with two identifiable factors (cognitive empathy and affective empathy).2. The revision of Basic Empathy Scale exhibited satisfactory internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability.3. Boys diagnosed as conduct disorder scored significantly lower than matched participants on cognitive empathy [(32.09±4.94),(29.86±4.72)(P<0.01)].4. Girls were found to score significantly higher on cognitive empathy (F=22.75, P<0.01,f=0.12), affective empathy (F=55.15,p<0.01,f=0.19), and total score of BES-C (F=58.87, p<0.01,f=0.20) than boys. What's more, the scores on both cognitive and affective empathy increased with age. 5. Cognitive empathy and affective empathy were positively correlated with prosocial behavior (r=0.381-0.529, p<0.01), lack of faith in human nature was negatively correlated with empathy and prosocial behavior (r=0.180-0.240, p<0.05-0.01)6. Lack of faith in human nature, affective empathy and prosocial behavior were significantly correlated each other (p<0.05-0.01); Affective empathy had total mediator effect between lack of faith in human nature and prosocial behavior, the percentage of mediator effect was 35.33%.7. The differences of regression coefficient between empathy and prosocial behavior were statistically significant between boys and girls, the former was higher than the latter;8. The cross product of affective empathy and lack of faith in human nature could significantly predict prosocial behavior in the regression equation (p<0.05)9. Scores of cognitive empathy were lower in destructive subgroup than controls ((29.76±4.46) vs (32.09±4.94), (p<0.01));10. There were significant differences in the levels of two dimensions and total scores of empathy between patients and controls (F=3.10-5.36, p<0.05). Scores of cognitive empathy were lower in overt subgroup (29.22±3.77) and covert subgroup (30.21±5.17) than controls (32.09±4.94) (p<0.05-0.01); Scores of affective empathy were lower in overt subgroup than covert subgroup ((26.13±5.05) vs (29.50±4.16), (p<0.05)); Total scores of empathy were lower in overt subgroup (55.35±7.09) than covert subgroup (59.71±7.58) and controls (60.04±8.50) (p<0.05);11.36.9%(24/65) patients had depressive symptoms. Significant differences in cognitive empathy dimension were found among patients with or without depressive symptoms and controls(F=5.49, p<0.01), controls scored higher than patients(p<0.05-0.01);12.70.8%(46/65) patients had anxiety symptoms. Significant differences in cognitive empathy dimension were found among patients with or without depressive symptoms and controls(F=5.93, p<0.01), CD boys with anxiety symptoms scored lower than controls(p<0.01).13. Logistic regression analysis showed that cognitive empathy was a protective factor for CD (OR=0.43).Conclusions1. As the Chinese version of Basic Empathy Scale indicated good psychometrics properties with adequate reliability and validity; Girls scored significantly higher on cognitive empathy, affective empathy and total score of BES-C than that of boys; What's more, the scores on both cognitive and affective empathy increased with age.2. Prosocial behavior was related to high cognitive empathy, affective empathy and optimistic attitude to human nature; Affective empathy had total mediator effect between lack of faith in human nature and prosocial behavior; gender can moderate the relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior, and lack of faith in human nature exerted an important moderating effect on the relationship between affective empathy and prosocial behavior.3. The cognitive empathy level of patients was significantly lower than matched students; boys with different types of conduct disorder possess different empathic abilities when compared with healthy controls; part of patients showed obvious depressive and anxiety symptoms; cognitive empathy is a protective factor for conduct disorder.