Jordan Myriam N, Sarantaki Antigoni, Diamanti Athina, Vivilaki Victoria
Department of Midwifery, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece.
Eur J Midwifery. 2024 Sep 9;8. doi: 10.18332/ejm/191394. eCollection 2024.
Empathy plays an important role in midwifery care, not only for the women but also for midwives. The Midwifery Empathy Scale (MES) was developed to assess the empathy levels of midwives and midwifery students. The purpose of this study was the translation and validation of the MES for an Austrian sample.
A total of 277 midwives working in Austria completed the questionnaire of the MES. The psychometric measurements that were performed included explanatory factor analysis using a varimax rotation and principal components analysis. Moreover, the internal consistency of the MES was assessed with reliability coefficients. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy and a Bartlett's test of sphericity were carried out.
Principal components analysis showed seven orthogonal factors. KMO measure of sample adequacy = 0.724 and Bartlett's test of sphericity = 1058.904 (df=231, p<0.0001). The MES showed an acceptable overall internal consistency: Cronbach's alpha was found to be 0.721 and the Guttman split-half coefficient was 0.611. The findings of our study confirm the multidimensionality of MES, demonstrating a seven-factor structure which contained subscales reflecting empathy and emotional connection. The mean total score of Austrian midwives' responses to the MES was 44.80 with scores ranging from 24 to 81.
This study shows that the German version of the Midwifery Empathy Scale is a reliable instrument for evaluating the empathy levels of midwives and midwifery students in Austria. The German MES could be used in the selection and education of future midwives as well as in connection with empathy trainings of midwives.
同理心在助产护理中起着重要作用，这不仅对产妇而言如此，对助产士来说同样重要。助产士同理心量表（MES）旨在评估助产士及助产专业学生的同理心水平。本研究的目的是对MES进行翻译并在奥地利样本中进行验证。
共有277名在奥地利工作的助产士完成了MES问卷。所进行的心理测量包括使用方差最大化旋转的解释性因素分析和主成分分析。此外，通过信度系数评估MES的内部一致性。进行了Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin（KMO）抽样适当性度量和巴特利特球形度检验。
主成分分析显示有七个正交因子。KMO抽样适当性度量 = 0.724，巴特利特球形度检验 = 1058.904（自由度 = 231，p < 0.0001）。MES显示出可接受的总体内部一致性：克朗巴哈系数为0.721，古特曼折半系数为0.611。我们的研究结果证实了MES的多维性，呈现出一个七因子结构，其中包含反映同理心和情感联系的子量表。奥地利助产士对MES回答的平均总分是44.80，分数范围为24至81。
本研究表明，德语版的助产士同理心量表是评估奥地利助产士及助产专业学生同理心水平的可靠工具。德语版MES可用于未来助产士的选拔和教育，以及与助产士的同理心培训相关的工作中。
