Translation, adaptation, and construct validity study of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy

Abstract

Ethnocultural Empathy is a construct that helps to understand phenomena encompassing cultural issues, respect to ethnocultural differences, and affective and social-moral development. The present study aimed to translate, to adapt and to assess the construct validity of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy – SEE for use in Brazil. A total of 350 undergraduate students resident in the city of Juazeiro, BA (Brazil) participated of this study. They answered to the modified version of the SEE – which was called in Portuguese Escala de Empatia Etnocultural – EEE, and a questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics. A factor analysis of 26 items suggested that a three-factor solution provided the best fit to the data. The overall internal consistency of the SEE (general level of ethnocultural empathy) was good (α = .808). Taken as a whole, the psychometric properties of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy are suitable to assess the Ethnocultural Empathy and demonstrate that the SEE is an important research tool in future studies.