Collins Kirsten, Gratton Caroline, Heneage Celia, Dagnan Dave
Canterbury Christchurch University, Tunbridge Wells, UK.
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford, UK.
J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2017 Jan;30(1):133-146. doi: 10.1111/jar.12226. Epub 2015 Oct 29.
This study aimed to develop a self-report measure of paid caregivers' empathy towards people with intellectual disabilities.
Following questionnaire develop-ment, 194 staff working in services for people with intellectual disabilities completed self-report questionnaires, including the new empathy measure. The measure's factor structure and psychometric properties were investigated.
A three factor solution suggested two key processes in empathizing: experiencing commonality between one's own and people with intellectual disabilities' psychological experiences and efforts to attune to their internal worlds. The final factor represented whether carers find it challenging to empathize. Correlations with beliefs about the self and others in caregiving relationships provided initial evidence of validity, although further investigation is needed.
The most salient processes in empathizing with people with intellectual disabilities may be different from empathy in other contexts. Establishing determinants of carer empathy may facilitate the development of psychological interventions to promote and enhance this important quality.
本研究旨在开发一种针对付费照顾者对智障人士同理心的自我报告测量方法。
在问卷编制完成后，194名在智障人士服务机构工作的员工完成了自我报告问卷，其中包括新的同理心测量问卷。对该测量方法的因子结构和心理测量特性进行了调查。
一个三因子解决方案表明了同理心产生的两个关键过程：体验自身与智障人士心理体验之间的共性，以及努力去理解他们的内心世界。最后一个因子代表照顾者是否发现同理心具有挑战性。与照顾关系中对自我和他人的信念之间的相关性提供了效度的初步证据，尽管还需要进一步研究。
与智障人士产生同理心的最显著过程可能与其他情境中的同理心不同。确定照顾者同理心的决定因素可能有助于开发心理干预措施，以促进和提升这一重要品质。
