Journal of Research in Educational Systems
Scientific Journal

Psychometric Properties of the Digital Communication Empathy Scale

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Kamran Sheivandi Cholicheh 1
Sahar Rahimi 2

1 Department of Educational Sciences, Associate Professor, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Educational Sciences, PhD Student, Faculty of Islamic-Iranian Lifestyle, Islamic Revolution Comprehensive University, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22034/jiera.2026.549263.3379
Abstract
Objective: The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Digital Communication Empathy Scale (DCES). This instrument measures individuals’ empathy within online communication contexts and seeks to assess the multifaceted dimensions of this construct in virtual interactions.
Method: This applied, descriptive–survey research was conducted on individuals aged 18 and above who actively used social networks and online messaging platforms between August and September 2025 (N = 570). A convenience sampling method was employed. Data were collected using the Digital Communication Empathy Scale (Collins et al., 2022) and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (Spreng et al., 2009). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed in SPSS 25, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted in LISREL 8.8. Content validity was evaluated using expert judgment, and criterion validity was confirmed through the correlation with the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (r = 0.46, p < 0.001).
Results: EFA findings revealed that the 36-item DCES comprises six core components: Digital Emotional Resonance, Perceived Digital Empathic Accuracy, Digital Perspective-Taking, Digital Sympathy, Digital Personal Distress, and Digital Empathic Anger. First- and second-order CFA demonstrated a good model fit, indicating satisfactory reliability and validity of all subscales. Content validity indices showed strong expert agreement, with an overall CVR of 0.98 and an overall CVI of 0.92, reflecting the adequacy, relevance, and clarity of the items. These findings, together with the factor-analytic evidence, demonstrate that the Persian version of the scale possesses satisfactory validity and reliability.
Conclusions: The Digital Communication Empathy Scale demonstrates strong psychometric properties and can serve as a valid instrument for assessing various dimensions of empathy within online communication environments. This tool can assist researchers and practitioners in examining and enhancing digital social interactions and can provide a foundation for designing educational interventions and improving the quality of relationships in virtual settings.

Keywords

Digital empathy
Factor analysis
Online communication
Reliability
Validity
Subjects
البرزی، م.، خوشبخت، ف.، و احمدی فری‌آبادی، ا. (۱۴۰۱). بررسی راهکارهای افزایش احساس تعلق اجتماعی و انگیزه یادگیری دانش‌آموزان مقطع ابتدایی در آموزش مجازی از دیدگاه معلمان: یک مطالعه کیفی.فصلنامه پژوهش در نظام‌های آموزشی، ۱۶(۵۸)، ۶۱–۷۴. https://doi.org/10.22034/jiera.2022.167792
شهراسبی، ر.، موغلی، ع.، احمدی، س. ع.، و امیرخانی، ا. (۱۴۰۱). تبیین و ارائه مدل بهبود همدلی سازمانی در سازمان سنجش آموزش کشور با رویکرد نظریه داده‌بنیاد. فصلنامه پژوهش در نظام‌های آموزشی، ۳۱(74)، ۳۴۳–۳۸۴. https://doi.org/10.22034/jiera.2019.198208.2003
معماریان، ع.، معنوی‌پور، د.، و صداقتی‌فرد، م. (۱۴۰۰). پرسشنامه همدلی تورنتو: ارزیابی مشخصه‌های روان‌سنجی در نمونه‌ای از دانشجویان ایران. شناخت اجتماعی، ۱۰)19) ، ۱۷۷–۱۹۴. https://doi.org/10.30473/sc.2021.58198.2664
جعفری، م. ع.، نوروزی، ز.، و فولادچنگ، م. (1396).بررسی ساختار عاملی، پایایی و روایی مقیاس همدلی اساسی: فرم فارسی. مطالعات روان‌شناسی تربیتی، 14(25)، 23–38. https://sid.ir/paper/188609/fa
حبیب‌پور، ک.، و صفری‌شالی، م. (1390). روش‌های تحقیق در علوم رفتاری. تهران: انتشارات سمت. https://www.samt.ac.ir
خداییاری‌فرد، م.، منصور، م.، و غباری بناب، ب. (1399). مبانی روان‌سنجی و اندازه‌گیری در روان‌شناسی و علوم تربیتی. تهران: انتشارات دانشگاه تهران.https://press.ut.ac.ir
نریمانی، م.، فلاحی، و.، حبیبی، ی.، و زردی، ب. (1396).بررسی خصوصیات روان‌سنجی پرسشنامه همدلی و همدردی در دانش‌آموزان.روان‌شناسی مدرسه و آموزشگاه، 6(1), 115–129. https://doi.org/10.22098/jsp.2017.541
هاشمی نصرت‌آباد، ت.، و لشکری، آ. (1403).بررسی ویژگی‌های روان‌سنجی نسخه فارسی مقیاس همدلی عاطفی، شناختی و جسمانی بزرگسالان.فصلنامه پژوهش در سلامت روانشناختی، 18(4)، 14–28. https://www.magiran.com/p2843185
هومن، ح. (1387). راهنمای تحلیل داده‌های آماری با استفاده از نرم‌افزارSPSS . تهران: انتشارات پارسا. https://parsa.ir
 
 
Abou Hashish, E. A. (2025). Compassion through technology: Digital empathy concept analysis and implications in nursing. Digital Health, 11(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251326221
Alborzi, M., Khoshbakht, F., & Ahmadi Faryabadi, A. (2022).Investigating strategies to enhance social belonging and learning motivation of elementary school students in virtual education from teachers’ perspectives: A qualitative study. Journal of Research in Educational Systems, 16(58), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.22034/jiera.2022.167792 (in Persian)
Burrell, D. N. (2025). Understanding the cyberpsychology and nature of digital empathy.Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16217824
Collins, A. M., Warburton, W. A., Bussey, K., & Sweller, N. (2024). Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Digital Communication Empathy Scale (DCES). International Journal of Human–Computer Studies, 183, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2023.103183 Macquarie University Researchers
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Duarte, A., Surugiu, R., Moraru, M., & Marinescu, V. (2023). Digital empathy in online education: A comparison study between Portugal and Romania. Comunicar, 76(1), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.3916/C76-2023-07
Guan, S. S. A., Bazarova, N. N., & Hancock, J. T. (2019). The role of social network sites in shaping affective empathy: A longitudinal study. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 24(2), 64–82. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmy025
Hui, B. P. H., Wu, A. M. S., & Pun, N. (2019). Disentangling the effects of empathy components on internet gaming disorder: A study of vulnerable youth in China. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(1), 181–189. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.8.2019.12
Habibpour, K., & Safari Shali, M. (2011). Research methods in behavioral sciences. Tehran: SAMT Publications.https://www.samt.ac.ir (in Persian)
Hashemi Nosratabad, T., & Lashkari, A. (2024).Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Cognitive, Affective, and Somatic Empathy Scale in adults.Journal of Research in Psychological Health, 18(4), 14–28.https://www.magiran.com/p2843185 (in Persian)
Hooman, H. (2008).Guide to statistical data analysis using SPSS software. Tehran: Parsa Publications. https://parsa.ir (in Persian)
Jafari, M. A., Norouzi, Z., & Fooladchang, M. (2017). Factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Basic Empathy Scale: Persian version.Educational Psychology Studies, 14(25), 23–38. https://sid.ir/paper/188609/fa (in Persian)
Jing, Y., Li, X., & Wang, L. (2022). The dual effects of online video games on empathy: Prosocial versus violent content. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25(3), 178–185. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2021.0123
Krämer, N. C., Guillory, J. E., & Hancock, J. T. (2015). Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(29), 8788–8790. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1320040111
Khodaiyari-Fard, M., Mansour, M., & Ghabari Bonab, B. (2020).Fundamentals of psychometrics and measurement in psychology and educational sciences. Tehran: University of Tehran Press. https://press.ut.ac.ir (in Persian)
Lanfer, H., et al. (2024). Digital clinical empathy in a live chat: Multiple findings from a formative qualitative study and usability tests. BMC Health Services Research, 24, 314. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-10785-8
MacCallum, R. C., Widaman, K. F., Zhang, S., & Hong, S. (1996). Sample size in factor analysis. Psychological Methods, 1(4), 84–99. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.1.4.84
Maibom, H. L. (2020). Empathy. Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Empathy/Maibom/p/book/9780415790222
Marín-López, I., Zych, I., Ortega-Ruiz, R., Monks, C. P., & Llorent, V.  J. (2020). Empathy online and moral disengagement through technology as longitudinal predictors of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. Children and Youth Services Review, 116, 105144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105144
Memarian, A., Manavipour, D., & Sadaqatifard, M. (2021).Toronto Empathy Questionnaire: Psychometric evaluation in a sample of Iranian students. Social Cognition, 10(19), 177–194.
https://doi.org/10.30473/sc.2021.58198.2664 (in Persian)
Narimani, M., Fallahi, V., Habibi, Y., & Zardi, B.  (2017) .Psychometric properties of the Empathy and Sympathy Questionnaire in students. Journal of School and Educational Psychology, 6(1), 115–129. https://doi.org/10.22098/jsp.2017.541 (in Persian)
Spreng, N. R., McKinnon, M. C., Mar, R. A., & Levine, B. (2009). The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire: Scale development and initial validation. Journal of Personality Assessment, 91(1), 62–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223890802253963
Shahrassabi, R., Moghli, A., Ahmadi, S. A., & Amirkhani, A. (2022). Developing a model for improving organizational empathy in the National Organization for Educational Testing using a grounded theory approach. Journal of Research in Educational Systems, 31(74), 343–384. https://doi.org/10.22034/jiera.2019.198208.2003 (in Persian)
Thompson, N. M., De Beni, R., Cornoldi, C., & Framarin, I. (2021). Cognitive and affective empathy relate differentially to emotion regulation abilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 640351. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640351
Vogels, E. A., Gelles-Watnick, R., & Massarat, N. (2022). Teens, social media and technology 2022. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022
Journal of Research in Educational Systems
Volume 19, Issue 69
June 2025
Pages 15-26

Home

Editorial Boards

Submit Manuscript

Contact Us