AI Insight
This study validated a Malay-language version of the Empathy Quotient (M-EQ) among 586 Malaysian adults aged 18 to 53 years. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor structure comprising emotional empathy and cognitive empathy, retaining 23 of the original items, with acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Measurement invariance testing indicated configural and metric invariance across gender and language groups, though the authors caution that some indices warrant careful interpretation, and females scored significantly higher than males on total empathy and both subscales.
Why it matters
Having a psychometrically validated, culturally appropriate empathy measure in Malay expands research and clinical capabilities in Malaysian and broader Malay-speaking populations. This tool can support cross-cultural empathy research and applied settings such as mental health assessment and educational contexts where standardized, language-appropriate instruments are needed.
by Su Woan Wo, Ria Heryani Mumfahir, Cher Yi Tan, Louise Phillips, Min Hooi Yong
The Empathy Quotient (EQ) is one of the most frequently used scales to measure empathy in adults and has been translated into many languages. However, there is still much debate on its dimensionality from its initial inception. Further, we know very little regarding EQ’s measurement invariance to ensure that the instrument EQ measures the same construct consistently across different groups (e.g., gender, language type) and having meaningful comparisons without bias. In this study, we validated a Malay version of the Empathy Quotient (M-EQ), a self-report questionnaire among Malaysian adults and examined its measurement invariance across gender and language type. We recruited 586 participants aged between 18–53 years (Mage = 23.98, SD = 5.89) to complete the M-EQ. Our confirmatory factor analysis results showed that the M-EQ had two factors (emotional empathy, cognitive empathy) with 23 items retained. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the M-EQ was acceptable. Measurement invariance testing indicated that the two‑factor structure was broadly comparable across gender and language groups, with configural and metric invariance supported, although some indices suggested cautious interpretation. Compared to males, females scored higher than males on total M-EQ and both subscales. Taken together, the findings support a psychometrically sound 23‑item version of the EQ in Malay-speaking adults with evidence for internal structural validity, which may be useful for research and applied contexts where brief and culturally appropriate measures of empathy are required. Overall, our findings contribute to ongoing debates on the dimensionality of the EQ, with more research needed to establish convergent and criterion‑related validity of the M‑EQ.