Background: Background: Jefferson Scale of Empathy is one of the most widely used tools worldwide to assess empathy.
The extended version for Health Professions Students (JSE HPS) has not yet been translated into French. Objective:
The aim of our study was to translate the JSE HPS into French and assess the psychometric properties of this new
version (JSE HPS Fr). Methods: The JSE HPS was translated according to international recommendations. The main
psychometric qualities (test-retest reliability, internal consistency, floor and ceiling effects and construct validity) were studied in a sample of physiotherapy students. Participants provided general information (age, gender, year of study) and completed the JSE HPS Fr and the Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE). Participants were also asked to complete the JSE-HPS-Fr again one week later to assess its test-retest reliability. Results: 408 students (161 males and 247 females; mean age: 21.3 years) participated. The JSE HPS Fr demonstrated good test-retest reliability for the total score (ICC=0.81) and good internal consistency (α Cronbach: 0.79). The JSE HPS also showed good convergent validity with the QCAE questionnaire (r=0.41, p<0.05). No floor or ceiling effects were observed. Conclusions: The results indicate that the JSE HPS Fr is a valid and reliable tool to assess the level of empathy of French-speaking physiotherapy students
