ArticleBJPsych open2024
The Psychological Emptiness Scale: a psychometric evaluation.
Article in BJPsych open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Paranoid Ideation in Gay Men: The Roles of Psychological Emptiness, Identity Loss, Loneliness, and Identity Resilience.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Investigating the psychometric properties of the Persian version of Psychological Emptiness Scale (PES) among nursing students.BMC nursing · 2025Article
- Emptiness in patients with borderline personality disorder: Severity and predictors of outcome over 24 years of prospective follow-up.Journal of affective disorders · 2025Article
- Dimensions of the psychological emptiness and its relation with suicide history among college students.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFeelings of emptiness are commonly reported as deeply distressing experiences. Despite established relationships between emptiness and many mental health difficulties, alongside self-harm and suicide, further study into this phenomenon has been restricted by vague definition and clinical measures with limited utility. Recently the first definition validated by individuals with lived experience of emptiness has been conceptualised, providing an opportunity to create a new measure of emptiness.
aimsThis study aimed to psychometrically evaluate the 31-item Psychological Emptiness Scale (PES), identifying redundancy, and thus creating a psychometrically robust scale with optimised clinical utility.
methodUtilising an online survey design, 768 participants completed the 31 items of the initial PES alongside other measures of mental health. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and item response theory employed to identify item redundancy and reduce test burden. Expert clinicians provided ratings of each item's clinical relevance and, combined with the psychometric analysis, led to the removal of a number of items. Confirmatory factor analysis was then undertaken. Reliability including test-retest, validity and sensitivity of the measure were evaluated.
resultsA two-factor structure encompassing 'nothingness' and 'detachment' was identified, and found to have acceptable fit. The resulting 19-item PES was found to have internal consistency (
conclusionsThis study demonstrated strong psychometric properties of the PES. The PES has potential to support research into the role of emptiness in psychological distress and treatment in clinical practice.
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