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Journals / Selçuk İletişim / 2026 / Cilt: 19 Sayı: 2

Digital Empathy Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study

Dijital Empati Ölçeği: Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışması

Abdullah Yıldırmaz(BATMAN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0003-0712-7816
Pages
917–937
Publication Date
2026-10-15
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Taken together, the findings provide convergent psychometric evidence supporting the DES as a sound instrument for assessing empathy within digital communication settings.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Online communication platforms now constitute one of the principal arenas of interpersonal exchange; constraints on nonverbal signaling, asynchronous turn-taking, and varying degrees of anonymity together reshape how individuals interpret others' states and decide whether to act on them.
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Key Findings & Data:The present research developed and examined the psychometric properties of the Digital Empathy Scale (DES), a 12-item instrument intended to capture empathic orientation in online contexts, using a sequential three-phase design.
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Conclusion & Impact:Taken together, the findings provide convergent psychometric evidence supporting the DES as a sound instrument for assessing empathy within digital communication settings.
🔬Design:Lab & Field Experiment
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Dijital empati · Çevrimiçi iletişim · Ölçek geliştirme

Abstract

Online communication platforms now constitute one of the principal arenas of interpersonal exchange; constraints on nonverbal signaling, asynchronous turn-taking, and varying degrees of anonymity together reshape how individuals interpret others' states and decide whether to act on them. The present research developed and examined the psychometric properties of the Digital Empathy Scale (DES), a 12-item instrument intended to capture empathic orientation in online contexts, using a sequential three-phase design. In the first phase (N = 300), a 29-item pool was submitted to principal axis factoring; the analysis returned a one-factor solution explaining 45.6% of the total variance (KMO = .892; Bartlett χ²(66) = 1464.63, p < .001; factor loadings .57–.68). In the second phase (N = 417), confirmatory factor analysis on an independent sample supported the proposed structure (CFI = .945; TLI = .928; RMSEA = .072; SRMR = .050) and yielded external validity evidence (general empathy r = .599; digital well-being r = .367; social desirability r = .164; α = .929; split-half r = .871). In the third phase (N = 80), the scale exhibited substantial temporal stability across a two-week interval (r = .817, p < .001). Taken together, the findings provide convergent psychometric evidence supporting the DES as a sound instrument for assessing empathy within digital communication settings.

Özet

Dijital iletişim ortamları, kişilerarası etkileşimin başlıca bağlamlarından biri konumuna gelmiş; sözel olmayan ipuçlarının daralması, eş zamansızlık ve görece anonimlik gibi yapısal nitelikleriyle empatik kavrayış ile yardım etme eğilimini yeniden biçimlendirmiştir. Bu araştırma, çevrimiçi ortamlarda empatik anlama ve davranışsal yönelimi ölçen Dijital Empati Ölçeği (DEÖ)'ni geliştirmek ve psikometrik özelliklerini belgelemek amacıyla üç aşamalı bir desen çerçevesinde yürütülmüştür. Birinci aşamada (N = 300), 29 maddelik aday havuzu üzerinde uygulanan açımlayıcı faktör analizi (temel eksen yöntemi), toplam değişkenliğin %45.6'sını açıklayan 12 maddelik tek faktörlü bir yapıyı ortaya çıkarmıştır (KMO = .892; Bartlett χ²(66) = 1464.63, p < .001; faktör yükleri .57–.68). İkinci aşamada (N = 417) bu yapı doğrulayıcı faktör analiziyle test edilmiş ve uyum indeksleri kabul edilebilir bulunmuştur (CFI = .945; TLI = .928; RMSEA = .072; SRMR = .050). Aynı aşamada dış geçerlik kanıtları da elde edilmiştir: genel empati ile r = .599; dijital iyi oluş ile r = .367; sosyal beğenirlik ile r = .164; iç tutarlılık α = .929; iki yarı güvenirliği r = .871. Üçüncü aşamada (N = 80), 14 günlük arayla yapılan iki ölçüm arasındaki test–tekrar test korelasyonu yüksek bulunmuştur (r = .817, p < .001). Bulgular, DEÖ'nün dijital ortamlarda empatiyi ölçmek için geçerli ve güvenilir bir araç olduğunu göstermektedir.

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Cite This Article

Yıldırmaz, A. (2026). Digital Empathy Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study. Selçuk İletişim, Cilt: 19 Sayı: 2, 917–937. https://doi.org/10.18094/josc.1931924

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