MedEdPORTAL (Oct 2013)
Critical Synthesis Package: Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)
Abstract
Abstract This Critical Synthesis Package contains: (1) a Critical Analysis of the psychometric properties and the application to health science education of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and (2) a copy of the IRI and the scoring instructions developed by Mark Davis, PhD. The IRI is a 28-item self-report questionnaire that was measures four different dimensions of dispositional empathy: Empathic Empathy (emotional empathy), Perspective Taking (cognitive empathy), Fantasy (empathy for fictional characters), and Personal Distress (self-focused responses to other's suffering). It uses a 5-item Likert scale with two anchors (A = Does not describe me well; E= Describes me very well). Responses can be averaged (using 0 to 4 or 1 to 5 endpoints) or summed (using 0 to 28 or 7 to 35 ranges). These subscales should be used separately since the instrument is not intended to measure global empathy. The IRI is a continuous measure of empathy in normal populations and not a categorical measure (“high empathy” versus “low empathy”). It was validated with college student samples but is widely used with a variety of populations, including medical students, physicians, and nurses. It has also been translated to a number of languages. It correlates with other measures of empathy, including the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy, and the Perspective Taking subscale is associated with increased well-being in both college students and physicians. Observer ratings of empathy are correlated with self-ratings, demonstrating the validity of this self-report scale. However, potential users should note that the instrument measures empathy in specific ways: (1) as a trait rather than in response to specific situations, and (2) as directed toward other's suffering, rather than their general emotional experiences (including positive ones).
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