Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38261151›Full record

ArticleChild psychiatry and human development2025

The "Measure of Empathy in Early Childhood": Psychometric Properties and Associations with Externalizing Problems and Callous Unemotional Traits.

Valentina Levantini, Pietro Muratori, Iacopo Bertacchi, Virginia Grilli, Alessandra Marzano, Gabriele Masi, Annarita Milone, Eva R Kimonis

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In one paragraph

Article in Child psychiatry and human development, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Valentina LevantiniScientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
Pietro MuratoriScientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy. pietro.muratori@fsm.unipi.it.
Iacopo BertacchiAccademia di Neuropsicologia dello Sviluppo (A.N.Svi), Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Virginia GrilliScientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
Alessandra MarzanoTeam Coping Power Scuola, Roma, Italy.
Gabriele MasiScientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
Annarita MiloneScientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
Eva R KimonisParent-Child Research Clinic, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Fondazione Stella Maris · ITIstituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico · ITUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

Ministero della Salute RC
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Empathy is crucial to the development of socio-emotional skills in youth and empathy development is central to understanding and subtyping youth with externalizing problems. This study explored for the first time the psychometric properties of the Measure of Empathy in Early Childhood (MEEC) in a sample of 652 Italian children aged 6 to 8 years. The gender invariance of MEEC scores and their associations with other measures of empathy and prosocial behavior, and children's externalizing problems and callous-unemotional (CU) traits were also evaluated. Results indicated that with some modifications, a 5-factor structure of the Italian version of MEEC scores fitted the data and was invariant across gender. Results further supported the reliability and validity of MEEC total and subscale scores. Practical implications of these results are discussed.

Indexed as

Child BehaviorEmpathyPsychometricsChildFemaleHumansItalyMaleReproducibility of ResultsCallous-unemotional TraitsEarly ChildhoodEmpathyExternalizing Problems

Identifiers

PMID38261151
OpenAlexW4391134829

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.