Data from: The role of cognitive and affective empathy in spouses' support interactions: an observational study

The present study examined how support providers’ empathic dispositions
(dispositional perspective taking, empathic concern, and personal
distress) as well as their situational empathic reactions
(interaction-based perspective taking, empathic concern, and personal
distress) relate to the provision of spousal support during observed
support interactions. Forty-five committed couples provided questionnaire
data and participated in two ten-minute social support interactions
designed to assess behaviors when partners are offering and soliciting
social support. A video-review task was used to assess situational forms
of perspective taking (e.g., empathic accuracy), empathic concern and
personal distress. Data were analyzed by means of the multi-level
Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results revealed that providers
scoring higher on affective empathy (i.e., dispositional empathic
concern), provided lower levels of negative support. In addition, for male
partners, scoring higher on cognitive empathy (i.e., situational
perspective taking) was related to lower levels of negative support
provision. For both partners, higher scores on cognitive empathy (i.e.,
situational perspective taking) correlated with more instrumental support
provision. Male providers scoring higher on affective empathy (i.e.,
situational personal distress) provided higher levels of instrumental
support. Dispositional perspective taking was related to higher scores on
emotional support provision for male providers. The current study furthers
our insight into the empathy-support link, by revealing differential
effects (a) for men and women, (b) of both cognitive and affective
empathy, and (c) of dispositional as well as situational empathy, on
different types of support provision.