The relation between empathy and depressive symptoms in a Dutch population sample

BACKGROUND: Impairments in social functioning are common in individuals with (sub)clinical levels of depression. One possible underlying mechanism of this relationship is low empathy. The present study examined linear and non-linear associations between empathy and depressive symptoms, and whether these associations were moderated by gender. METHODS: Using the Empathy Quotient scale, cognitive and affective empathy were assessed using a large convenience sample from the general Dutch population (N = 3076). Depressive symptoms were indexed by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) and... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Bennik, Elise C.
Jeronimus, Bertus F.
Aan Het Rot, Marije
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
Reihe/Periodikum: Bennik , E C , Jeronimus , B F & Aan Het Rot , M 2019 , ' The relation between empathy and depressive symptoms in a Dutch population sample ' , Journal of Affective Disorders , vol. 242 , pp. 48-51 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.008
Schlagwörter: QUICK INVENTORY / QUOTIENT / SYMPTOMATOLOGY / ASSOCIATIONS / DISORDERS / ADULTS
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29027712
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://hdl.handle.net/11370/47670670-8cb4-4ee5-9da1-02c04c97e4d3

BACKGROUND: Impairments in social functioning are common in individuals with (sub)clinical levels of depression. One possible underlying mechanism of this relationship is low empathy. The present study examined linear and non-linear associations between empathy and depressive symptoms, and whether these associations were moderated by gender. METHODS: Using the Empathy Quotient scale, cognitive and affective empathy were assessed using a large convenience sample from the general Dutch population (N = 3076). Depressive symptoms were indexed by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16). RESULTS: Low cognitive empathy was associated with more depressive symptoms. There was a weak positive relation between affective empathy and depressive symptoms, indexed by the QIDS rather than the DASS. LIMITATIONS: Generalizing results to the general population remains difficult with a convenience sample. Self-reported data may be affected by social-desirability or sex-stereotypical reporting biases. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support a linear relationship between cognitive empathy and symptoms of depression. There was some evidence for non-linear associations and a moderating role of gender, but these patterns were not observed across all types of analysis.