Empathy questionnaire for children and adolescents: Italian validation

Empathy is important for interpersonal communication, social emotion, and social cognitive abilities throughout the lifespan. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (EmQue-CA) in a sample of 472 Italian children and early adolescents aged 8-13 years. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor model with one item deleted from the original version. The reliability was acceptable. Measurement invariance was established across gender, age and time. Significant differences by gender and age groups were found. Moreover, empathy was positively correlated with prosocial behaviours and negatively correlated with internalizing and externalizing problems. These findings suggest that the EmQue-CA is a reliable and valid instrument among Italian children and early adolescents.