Development and construct validation of a short form of the interpersonal reactivity index in Iranian community

Empathy is considered a multidimensional construct, including cognitive and affective aspects. Among the multidimensional empathy measures, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) has been widely studied in different cultures. However, neither IRI nor any other empathy questionnaires are translated and validated in the Iranian community. In the first study, we aimed to provide a Farsi version of IRI and examine its psychometric properties. In addition to the conventional method of Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling was used to evaluate the structural validity of IRI. Despite the promising internal, convergent, and divergent validity, the 28-item IRI did not show a good fit to the original structure. Hence, exploratory factor analysis was used to create a 16-item IRI, and this measure was evaluated in the second study. The results confirmed that the 16-item IRI is valid in terms of factor analysis (CFI = .903), and internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha in range of .67 to .71). Further, Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling was proved to be superior compared to Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Several questionnaires were used to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity. Empathic concern was positively correlated with agreeableness and negatively correlated with difficulty in identifying and describing feelings and Machiavellianism. Personal distress was positively correlated with negative affect and negative emotion regulation strategies and negatively correlated with emotional stability. A positive correlation was found between perspective taking and self-esteem, and between fantasy and openness. Females scored higher in empathic concern and personal distress. Finally, good test-retest reliability was found in the intervals of three- (.66 - .86) and six-months (.71 - .84). This measure facilitates the studies conducted in the Iranian community and adds to the literature by assessing the validity of IRI in a different culture. Findings and limitations are discussed with regard to the literature.