Abstract
The aim of the study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate new general questionnaire for estimation of empathy. Sample and setting.
The sample consisted of 1305 Czech physicians selected using random quota sampling according to region, gender, age, and employment status. Confirmatory factor analysis results supported the presumption of the three components of the 14-item self-administered Empathy Questionnaire (DE14) Percipience, Openness, and Respect; Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.67, 0.63, and 0.75, respectively.
The structure of the questionnaire was invariant from the viewpoint of gender, regression weights, and factor covariance. The effect of gender, although statistically significant, was very small and of no practical consequence.
Factors of age, length of practice, professional orientation, and all interactions were nonsignificant. Questionnaire DE14 shared cca 33% of variance with the JSPE-HP.
The DE14 psychometric characteristics are satisfactory and the provisional norms based on a representative sample of Czech physicians's responses are valid for use in experimental setting.