Validation and extension of the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy in the Chinese setting

The Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) is a commonly used instrument in empathy research. However, this scale has not been validated in the Chinese context. We examined the psychometric properties and structure of the QCAE in a Chinese sample consisting of 1224 college students. The whole sample was split into two halves for exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 617) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 607). A subsample (n = 351) completed the Chinese versions of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to examine convergent validity and the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) to examine the discriminate validity. Finally, 79 participants of the above subsample were retested after a 4-week interval. Results from EFA and CFA suggested a five-factor model, namely Perspective Taking, Online Simulation, Emotional Contagion, Proximal Responsivity, and Peripheral Responsivity. The internal consistency was .86 and test-retest reliability was .76. Scores on the QCAE positively correlated with scores on the IRI and negatively correlated with scores on the RSAS. The Chinese version of the QCAE exhibited good factor structure, reliability, and validity. Specific relationships between empathy and social anhedonia were also demonstrated.