How do I Analyze Thee? Let Me Count the Ways: Considering Empathy in Couple Relationships using Self and Partner Ratings

Abstract

In this article we describe some of the benefits and challenges of using self ratings and ratings of the partner to measure empathy and similar terms in couple research. If both members of the dyad are assessed, there will be four measures of the same variable. How to use these 4 measures in research and clinical work is a central question in this paper. We demonstrate 3 different latent models that can be used to analyze these ratings based on different theoretical premises. Using empathy as the independent variable with a longitudinal sample of 275 couples, structural equation models are used to evaluate the strength of these models in predicting relationship satisfaction. The findings indicate that the model that is consistent with the social constructionist perspective that focuses on the perceptions within the same person is a good fit to the data. Other models that compare ratings between members of the dyad do not fit the data well. The results demonstrate that perceptions of empathy do have a significant influence on relationship satisfaction across time, especially for females. However, it is largely males' perceptions of empathy of the self and the partner that influence relationship satisfaction for females.

Eye of the beholder: The individual and dyadic contributions of empathic accuracy and perceived empathic effort to relationship satisfaction.

“…First, because the study was cross-sectional, we cannot establish the direction of influence underlying the associations between empathy and relationship satisfaction. However, there is supporting evidence from other longitudinal research that empathy does indeed influence relationship satisfaction a year later, even when controlling for satisfaction levels in the prior year (Busby & Gardner, 2008). Thus, there is empirical grounding for examining the association between empathic processes and relationship satisfaction in the direction that we pursued in this study.…”

“…One study showed that perceptions of empathy are a stronger predictor of women's satisfaction than men's a year later, even when controlling for their baseline levels of satisfaction, and it was the man's empathy variables that had the greatest influence on both hers and his satisfaction (Busby & Gardner, 2008). So, while the male's views and actions in regard to empathy are stronger predictors of relationship quality over time, it is the female's satisfaction and relationship well-being that are more strongly affected.…”

The Benefits and Risks of Telling and Listening to Stories of Difficulty Over Time: Experimentally Testing the Expressive Writing Paradigm in the Context of Interpersonal Communication Between Friends

“…Thus, we also examine the possible effects of listening to a friend's story of stress. Hearing about a friend's troubles may have benefits for the conversational partner, as research shows that empathic responses can result in positive perceptions of the listener's competence (Jones, 2004), as well as increases in relational satisfaction over time (Busby & Gardner, 2008). However, listening to stories of difficulty, particularly over time, could be mildly upsetting to friends if the storytelling results in emotional contagion, burn-out, excessive co-rumination (Rose, 2002), or the listener feeling ineffectual, frustrated, or imposed upon (Goldsmith, 2004).…”

Validity evidence of the Portuguese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index for Couples

“…A relação consistente entre o IRIC, enquanto medida de empatia expressa no contexto da relação de casal, e a satisfação e estabilidade conjugal, salienta o papel que ambas as dimensões avaliadas pelo IRIC (empatia cognitiva e emocional), desempenham no ajustamento e satisfação do casal (Davis & Oathout, 1987). Essa relação comprova a relevância clínica do uso desse instrumento em contextos clínicos e é consistente com os resultados de outros autores (Busby & Gardner, 2008;Davis & Oathout, 1987;Long & Andrews, 1990;Long, Angera, Carter, Nakamoto, & Kalso, 1999). Outros estudos encontraram também relação da empatia diádica com outras variáveis de ajustamento relacional, tais como satisfação sexual (Larson, Anderson, Holman, & Niemann, 1998) ou perdão após a transgressão do parceiro (Fincham, Paleari, & Regalia, 2002).…”