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The Basic Empathy Scale adapted to French middle childhood: Structure and development of empathy

Leila Bensalah1, Nicolas Stefaniak2, Arnaud Carre3,4,5,6

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Reims, Reims, France. leila.bensalah@univ-reims.fr.

Behavior Research Methods
|October 2, 2015
PubMed

Insights

This study adapted the Basic Empathy Scale for children aged 6-11, finding a three-factor structure (emotional contagion, cognitive empathy, emotional disconnection) consistent with adults. Empathy components developed differently by gender in middle childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Social Neuroscience
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Empathy is crucial for social development.
  • Understanding the structure of empathy in children is essential.
  • Previous research has primarily focused on adult empathy structures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To adapt the adult Basic Empathy Scale for French children aged 6-11.
  • To investigate the underlying factorial structure of empathy in children.
  • To examine developmental trends and sex differences in empathy components.

Main Methods:

  • Adaptation of the adult French Basic Empathy Scale for children.
  • Administration of the Basic Empathy Scale in Children (BES-C) to 410 children (189 girls, 221 boys).
  • Factorial analysis to compare one-, two-, and three-factor models of empathy.

Main Results:

  • The three-factor model (emotional contagion, cognitive empathy, emotional disconnection) best explained empathy in children, mirroring adult structures.
  • Cognitive empathy increased, and emotional disconnection decreased with age during middle childhood.
  • Girls showed higher emotional contagion, while boys exhibited higher emotional disconnection; cognitive empathy did not differ by sex.

Conclusions:

  • The tripartite structure of empathy is present in children as young as 6 years old.
  • Empathy components show distinct developmental trajectories and sex-based differences in middle childhood.
  • The adapted BES-C is a valid tool for assessing empathy in French-speaking children.

Keywords:
Basic Empathy Scale (BES)ChildEmotionEmotion regulationEmpathy

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