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Published on: September 27, 2020
Assessing Perceived Empathic and Social Self-Efficacy Across Countries.
Laura Di Giunta1, Nancy Eisenberg, Anne Kupfer
1Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
Summary
The Perceived Empathic Self-Efficacy Scale (PESE) and Perceived Social Self-Efficacy Scale (PSSE) demonstrate reliable measurement across cultures and genders. These scales effectively predict psychological well-being and coping strategies in young adults.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
Background:
- Self-efficacy beliefs are crucial for social functioning and emotional regulation.
- Existing measures may not adequately capture empathic and social self-efficacy across diverse populations.
- The Perceived Empathic Self-Efficacy Scale (PESE) and Perceived Social Self-Efficacy Scale (PSSE) were developed to address this gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the factorial structure and cross-cultural invariance of the PESE and PSSE in young adults.
- To examine the construct and incremental validity of the PESE and PSSE in relation to psychological well-being and coping strategies.
Main Methods:
- Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the unidimensional structure of the PESE and PSSE.
- Multi-group invariance testing was conducted across gender and countries (Italy, United States, Bolivia).
- Correlational analyses examined associations with self-esteem, psychological well-being, and coping strategies.
Main Results:
- A unidimensional factorial structure was confirmed for both scales in all countries.
- Metric invariance was complete, and scalar invariance was partial across gender and countries for both PESE and PSSE.
- PESE and PSSE scores were significantly associated with self-esteem, well-being, and coping strategies, often beyond empathy or extraversion.
Conclusions:
- The PESE and PSSE are psychometrically sound and culturally invariant measures of empathic and social self-efficacy.
- These scales provide valuable insights into the role of self-efficacy in psychological adjustment and interpersonal functioning.
- Findings support the use of PESE and PSSE in cross-cultural research and clinical practice.
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