Compassion Work Characteristics Measure – CWCM
A 22-item self-report instrument designed to assess the emotional labor job characteristics specific to compassion work among human service professionals.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Compassion Work Characteristics Measure – CWCM was developed by Nicolai J. Kleineidam, Andrea Fischbach (2023). It is designed to measure Emotional labor job characteristics in compassion work. The scale is intended for use with Human service workers.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 22 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Exposure, Empathy, Compassion, Distancing.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure | 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Empathy | 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 | 7 |
| Compassion | 11,12,13,14,15,16,17 | 7 |
| Distancing | 18,19,20,21,22 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all, 2 = Now and then, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Quite often, 5 = Frequently, if not always.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Exposure α = .82-.87; Empathy α = .81-.89; Compassion α = .83-.86; Distancing α = .84-.86.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.