The self-effacing empathy scale : its validity and reliability among adolescents and their parents

Abstract

BACKGROUND : Empathy is a cornerstone of interpersonal and emotional health, yet its measurement often conflates self-oriented sympathetic responses with other-oriented empathy. To measure other-oriented empathy in its interpersonal manifestation, the Self-Effacing Empathy Scale (SEES) was examined for its validity and reliability among adolescents and their parents. METHOD : Adolescents and their parents, resident in South Africa were recruited through social media. Hundred and twelve participants completed a composite questionnaire that comprised the SEES, Basic Empathy Scale (BES), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and the Vigour Assessment Scale (VAS). A replicative data set comprising the same measures was collected eight weeks later from the same participants. RESULTS : Convergent validity of the SEES was found in it correlating strongly in the initial data set with the BES (r = 0.639) and moderately with the other-oriented items of the IRI (r = 0.528), and strongly in the replicative data set (r = 0.884; r = 0.771). Discriminant validity was found in its weak correlation with the VAS (r = 0.326) in the initial data set. Cronbach's alpha coefficients indicated good (0.697) and excellent (0.940) internal consistency. The SEES incurred a small standard error of measurement, whereby the total scores were differing at most between 2.34 and 2.49 from the true values over 72 theoretically possible scores. A three-factor model indicated structural reliability, accounting for 46.3 % and 64.8 % of the cumulative variance in the respective data sets. CONCLUSIONS : The SEES provides a valid and reliable measure for investigating associations between health and self-effacing empathy, and effects of interventions on it. HIGHLIGHTS • The SEES is reciprocally other-oriented rather than self-oriented like sympathy. • The SEES showed convergent validity with other empathy scales. • The SEES showed good internal consistency and only a small error of measurement. • Structurally, it yielded a 3-factor model accounting for 64.8 % of the variance. • The SEES provides for research on health associations and effects of interventions.

Description

DATA AVAILABIITY : The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available owing to ethical restrictions as required by the research ethics committee that approved the study. The measuring instrument is made available as supplementary material.

Keywords

Self-effacing empathy scale (SEES), Empathy, Communication, Rapport, Attunement, Reciprocity, Interpersonal understanding, Sympathy

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG-03: Good health and well-being

Citation

Gyapersad, V. & Van Staden, W. 2026, 'The self-effacing empathy scale : its validity and reliability among adolescents and their parents', Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 393, art. 120258, pp. 1-8, doi : 10.1016/j.jad.2025.120258.