| Title: |
Validation and Psychometric Properties of the German Empathy Questionnaire (EmQue) for Preschool Children. |
| Authors: |
Buczyłowska, Dorota; Dittrich, Katja; von Schönfeld, Judith; Hindi Attar, Catherine; Bermpohl, Felix; Herpertz, Sabine C.; Neukel, Corinne; Kaess, Michael; Williams, Katharina; Winter, Sibylle M.; Bödeker, Katja |
| Source: |
Early Education & Development; Apr2026, Vol. 37 Issue 3, p548-565, 18p |
| Subject Terms: |
Empathy in children; Questionnaires; Preschool children; Prosocial behavior; Confirmatory factor analysis; Statistical reliability; Factor structure; Emotional contagion |
| Abstract: |
Research Findings: The Empathy Questionnaire (EmQue) is a parent-report questionnaire developed in the Netherlands to assess the first three components of children's empathy, that is, emotion contagion (EC), attention to others' feelings (AOF), and prosocial actions (PA). We examined the validity of the German version of EmQue for children aged 3–6 (N = 114). Using confirmatory factor analysis, we approved the three-factor structure found in previous studies. The best model fit was obtained for 16 items loading on the three scales – EC, AOF, and PA. Cronbach's alpha demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency of the instrument (EC, α =.64; AOF, α =.74; PA, α =.78). A multivariate analysis of variance showed that girls (M = 1.18) scored higher than boys (M = 0.96) on PA. Correlational analyses revealed positive associations between SES and EC (r =.21) and AOF (r =.26); PA and cognitive theory of mind (ToM) (r =.20); negative associations between PA and aggressive behavior (r = ‒.40) and emotional reactivity (r = ‒.29). EmQue was not associated with age, affective ToM and emotion recognition. Practice and Policy: The findings demonstrate that EmQue is a reliable and valid measure of empathy for German preschool children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
Complementary Index |