Factor invariance across sex of the abbreviated basic empathy scale in peruvian adolescents

Although the abbreviated Basic Empathy Scale (abbreviated BES) has been used to study the differences of empathy between adolescent men and women, it is unknown whether the construct is measured similarly in both, that is, whether there is factor invariance across sex. The aim of the study was to analyze the factor invariance of the abbreviated BES across sex in a convenience sample of high-school students (480 males and 454 females) attending 3 schools in Lima Metropolitana, Peru. A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed that the 2-factor model (cognitive and affective empathy) is feasible for both sexes. Configural invariance verifies the two-dimensional structure, reaching a satisfactory compliance of strong invariance. Student's t-test revealed that women have greater cognitive and affective empathy than men. It is concluded that there is empirical evidence to support the partial factor invariance across sex of the abbreviated BES in Peruvian adolescents. Future studies should replicate these procedures in participants with different cultural characteristics and other age ranges.