Published online Oct 19, 2021. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i10.876
Peer-review started: February 16, 2021
First decision: May 13, 2021
Revised: May 15, 2021
Accepted: August 19, 2021
Article in press: August 19, 2021
Published online: October 19, 2021
Processing time: 240 Days and 11.8 Hours
Empathy deficits significantly contribute to developmental psychopathology. Questionnaires are the most used tools for the assessment of empathy both in adults and in children and adolescents.
No comprehensive overview of validated questionnaires for measuring empathy was available for clinicians and researchers in the neurodevelopmental field.
We aimed to identify and describe empirically validated questionnaires assessing empathy in children and adolescents and to provide a summary of related theoretical perspectives on empathy definitional issues.
A systematic review of the literature was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines.
We identified and described 16 measures used to assess empathy in children and adolescents. Most measures were multidimensional. Several instruments were based on a bipartite model of empathy, with dissociable affective and cognitive components. Other tools were built on Hoffman’s developmental model or included new facets, such as sympathy or somatic empathy.
Different scales are suitable in varying research and clinical settings, depending on the object of study, the clinical population, the age range and the models of interest. The combination of different assessment methods is recommended.
Future studies shall focus on directly comparing psychometric properties and factor-structure of different empathy questionnaires in multiple clinical and community samples.