Thompson, E; (2014) Exploring empathy and attachment in Borderline Personality Disorder. Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Aim: The aim of the present literature review was to explore whether empathy can be reliably measured in adults. After a review of current empathy measures, the focus was on the strengths and weaknesses of two empathy measures in particular; the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ). They were analysed in regards to validity, reliability, and clinical administration. Method A literature search was conducted focusing on measures of empathy, specifically the use of the IRI and the EQ, within adult populations. Additional literature limitations included a focus on articles from the years 1980 to 2014, within peer-reviewed journals, and focusing on tests and measures. Results An initial 198 references were identified. After an abstract search, 29 references were considered possible candidates for review. After a quality appraisal of the articles, 14 references were finalised for review. Conclusions The analyses of the psychometrics of the EQ and IRI were explored, and both have evidence of good validity, reliability and ease of utility. The IRI has less evidence of validity within clinical populations, whereas the EQ was designed for this purpose and shows strong construct, discriminant and convergent validity, and strong test-retest reliability among various cultures and clinical populations.

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