Abstract

Empathic concern and personal distress are the emotional components of empathy according to most utilized models. These components can be conceptualized in a dispositional or situational form. Previous analyzes tend to consider dispositional scales, with little evidence for situational ones. The present study analyzed the factor structure of a situational scale of emotional empathy, composed of empathic concern and personal distress. In a convenience sample of Chilean university students (N = 539), the one-order and second-order fit of the scale was analyzed using factor analysis. The results indicated a good (?2/ gl = 4.189, cfi =.964, tli =.932, srmr =.042, rmsea =.086, aic = 12041.418, bic = 12097.185) and better (?2difference(1) = 16.689, p <.001, |?cfi| =.237, |?rmsea| =.636, y |?srmr| =.076, all of them >.01, |?aic| = 211.633 > 10, y |?bic| = 207.342 > 10) second-order fit while one-order did not show a good fit (?2/gl = 20.878, cfi =.727, tli =.544, srmr =.118, rmsea =.224, aic = 12253.051, bic = 12304.527). The results were consistent with the literature. The need for new types of validity and the use of more representative samples was discussed. © 2023, Universidad Catolica de Colombia. All rights reserved.