Abstract
Background
No instrument could be considered and recommended as the gold standard assessment method for empathy based on desirable validity and reliability indices. Recently, two new measures were developed to address previous gaps in measuring empathy, i.e. the Pictorial Empathy Test (PET) to assess affective empathic reactions and the Single Item Trait Empathy Scale (SITES) to assess general trait empathy. The PET stands out from the existing self-report measures that use text-based items because it proposes a novel approach to conceptualize the empathy construct from an ecological perspective using photographs as emotional stimuli, while the SITES stands out because it consists of a single item. This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the PET and SITES in a sample of Arabic-speaking young adults from the general population of Tunisia.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional study carried out from March to May 2024 using a snowball spread method. A total of 502 participants (mean age of 21.74 years, 64.9% females) filled an online anonymous survey. The PET and SITES were translated into Arabic using the forward-backward translation method.
Results
Exploratory Factor Analysis showed that the PET’s unidimensionality was supported with an acceptable goodness-of-fit, and that good congruence of the factor structure of the SITES was supported across sex. Besides, the PET and the SITES exhibited satisfactory reliability coefficients. Positive correlations were observed between PET and SITES scores. The SITES, but not the PET, scores correlated significantly and positively with psychological distress. Both the SITES and the PET showed no significant correlations with self-esteem scores. Comparison of empathy levels between sexes showed no significant differences between males and females, both when using the PET or the SITES.
Conclusion
While the present validation study leaves further work to be completed, it provides to practitioners and researchers two validated measures of empathy in the Arabic language. The two scales are brief, cost-effective, well-accepted, and can be easily understood by participants. We thus recommend their use in future clinical and research practices, in particular in settings where resources and time can be limited.