Empathy and Interpersonal Functioning Difficulties Among Pakistani Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Empathy plays a role in social interaction and healthy interpersonal functioning, yet little research has examined this relationship specifically among Pakistani adults. This study examined the relationship between empathy and interpersonal functioning difficulties and gender differences in empathy and interpersonal functioning difficulties among Pakistani adults. A cross-sectional correlational design was used. From 218 Pakistani adults, 109 males and 109 females, aged 19 to 45, recruited through convenience sampling. Empathy was measured with the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ), and interpersonal functioning was assessed with the Functional Idiographic Assessment Template Questionnaire, Short Form (FIAT-Q-SF). Data were analyzed in IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26) using Pearson correlation, independent-samples t tests, and simple linear regression. Empathy showed a significant negative relationship with interpersonal functioning difficulties: adults who scored higher on empathy reported fewer difficulties in their interpersonal functioning. Regression results showed empathy significantly predicted interpersonal functioning difficulties, as it accounted for 6% of the variance. Women reported to have greater empathy than their male counterparts. No significant gender difference emerged for interpersonal functioning difficulties overall. These results support empathy as one factor connected to interpersonal difficulties in a Pakistani adult sample and suggest that interventions targeting empathy could be one avenue worth testing for improving social functioning in this population.