Measurement invariance and Polish norms for the Perth Empathy Scale (PES)

Abstract

Introduction: Originally developed in English, the Perth Empathy Scale (PES) is a 20-item self-report measure of empathy, designed to assess cognitive empathy and affective empathy across both negative and positive emotions. Recently, the Polish version of the PES was introduced, which demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Material and methods: In the present study, we aimed (1) to further examine the psychometrics of the Polish PES, with a focus on measurement invariance testing, and (2) to facilitate use of the scale by providing norms for Polish adults. Our sample included 1112 Polish-speaking adults aged 18-77 years, recruited from the general community in Poland. The PES's factor structure and measurement invariance were verified with confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability coefficients were assessed, and percentile rank norms were calculated. Results: The Polish version of the PES demonstrated strong factorial validity, with support for the intended 4-factor structure, and invariance across females and males. The PES scores showed good to excellent internal consistency reliability. There were gender differences in PES scores, with higher empathy in females than in males. Due to this, Polish percentile rank norms for the PES were presented for females and males separately. Conclusions: Overall, as in the first Polish study on the PES, the scale further demonstrated strong psychometric performance.