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Bryant’s Empathy Index: Structure and Measurement Invariance across Gender in a Sample of Primary School-Aged Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Beatriz Lucas-Molina ,
Alicia Pérez-Albéniz ,
Marta Giménez-Dasí  and
Gema Martín-Seoane
Beatriz Lucas-Molina*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Valencia (Spain)
Alicia Pérez-Albéniz
Affiliation:
Universidad de la Rioja (Spain)
Marta Giménez-Dasí
Affiliation:
Universidad de Valencia (Spain)
Gema Martín-Seoane
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Beatriz Lucas-Molina. Universidad de Valencia. Developmental and Educational Psychology. Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21. Valencia (Spain). 46010. Phone: +34–629842770. E-mail: beatriz.lucas@uv.es
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensional structure and measurement invariance of Bryant’s Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA) (Bryant, 1982) across gender in a representative sample of primary school-aged children in Spain. The sample consisted of 2,050 children (50.80% girls), with a mean age of 9.80 years (SD = 1.24), recruited from 27 primary schools. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. The model that presented the best fit indices was Lasa, Holgado, Carrasco, and del Barrio’s (2008) three-factor model: Understanding Feelings, Feelings of Sadness, and Tearful Reaction. The levels of internal consistency for the subscales ranged from .76 to .83. In addition, the results partially support the measurement invariance of the IECA across gender. When the latent means of the empathy dimensions were compared across gender, statistically significant differences were found. These results coincide with those found in the literature showing the multidimensionality of the IECA. Specifically, the findings support its three-factor structure and its invariance across gender, making it a very useful instrument for exploring the expression of empathy in primary school children.

Keywords

childrenempathy indexgender differencesmeasurement invariancemultidimensional structure
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 19 , 2016 , E44
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2016 

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