Validating a brief Empathy Quotient Test with adolescents from Mexico

Abstract

Empathy is a skill that enables the identification with and interpretation of others' subjective experiences. The purpose of this study was to validate the Empathy Quotient (EQ) in adolescents in Mexico. A sample of 573 Mexican adolescent students (350 female and 223 male) with an age range of 12-19 years was employed (Mage= 14.8 years, SD= 1.96). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was carried out which identified two factors, one with 16 items associated with the affective dimension and one with 13 items related to the cognitive dimension (model fit indices: GFI= .984, RMSEA= .034, and RMSR= .072). To evaluate the resultant bifactor model, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed, showing good fit indexes (RMSEA= .020, RMSR= .045, CFI= .998, GFI= .988). Regarding internal consistency, we found a McDonald's ω correlation coefficient of= .941 for the affective dimension and ω= .772 for the cognitive dimension, with p< .001. The validation of this empathy instrument will support its use as a clinical research assessment tool in Mexican adolescents.