Development of the Mexican Version of the Empathy Quotient

Saracco-Álvarez, Ricardo Arturo; Fresán, Ana; Rodríguez Pérez, Víctor; Robles-García, Rebeca; Escamilla Orozco, Raúl Iván; Díaz Martínez, Leonila Rosa; Tovilla-Zárate, Carlos-Alfonso; Olivares Neumann, José Luis

Abstract Introduction Empathy is defined as the ability or process to identify and understand other person's situation, feelings, and motives. These responses are essential for relationships and social behavior. Baron-Cohen et al. created the Empathy Quotient (EQ), a scale explicitly designed to have a clinical application. The instrument evaluates three constructs of empathy and several studies around worldwide, but not in Mexico. Objective To examine the psychometric properties and the factor congruence of the EQ in a community sample from Mexico City. Method Cronbach´s alpha coefficient and a correspondence factorial analysis was performed to test the relation between response options and factors from the Exploratory Factor Analysis 200 adults without Axis I disorders through the MINI, filled out the Spanish version of the short version (28-items) of the EQ. An exploratory factor analysis was performed while reliability was tested with Cronbach's alpha. In addition, correspondence factorial analysis and the factor congruence coefficient were determined. Results Five items were eliminated from the original 28-item EQ. From the 23 remaining items, only 16 were grouped in the three original proposed dimensions (cognitive empathy 8 items, emotional reactivity 4 items and social skills 3 items), while one item showed communality with a different domain from the one originally proposed. Reliability was adequate (.82) as well as the congruence coefficients (.76 to .99). Discussion and conclusion The EQ Mexican 16-item version is a good tool to assess empathy in a Mexican population.

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Development of the Mexican Version of the Empathy Quotient / Desarrollo de la versión mexicana del Cuestionario de Empatía