Validation of the Empathy Quotient – Short Form among Chinese healthcare professionals

Abstract

In this study we validated the Empathy Quotient Short Form (EQ-Short; Wakabayashi et al., 2006) with a sample of Chinese nurses and nursing students. Factor analyses indicated that 15 of the 22 EQ-Short items presented a 1-component structure across the sample. In terms of concurrent validity, moderate correlations were found between the empathy quotient and factors E, F, O, and Q3 extracted from the 16 personality factors. Trained nurses reported significantly lower levels of empathy quotient than did nursing students, but no significant gender differences were found across the samples. We found that the revised Chinese EQ-Short Form (EQ-Short-C) exhibited satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliability, thereby validating the EQ-Short-C as a meaningful measure for dispositional empathy among Chinese healthcare professionals.