University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
J Youth Adolesc. 2012 Oct;41(10):1382-91. doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9768-5. Epub 2012 May 26.
Empathy in children has received considerable attention in the literature, but limited research has investigated the contributions of various socializing factors on both affective (e.g., empathic concern) and cognitive (e.g., perspective taking) components of empathy in early adolescents. Guided by socialization theories, this study examined the unique and interacting contributions of school connectedness and parent-child conflict to subsequent levels of both components of empathy across a 1-year period of time. Participants were 487 10- to 14- year old middle school students (54 % female; 76 % European-American) involved in two waves of a study with 1 year between each wave. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, among girls, reports of parent-child conflict contributed to a decrease in empathic concern one year later, whereas school connectedness was a protective factor that offset the negative impact of parent-child conflict on girls' subsequent perspective taking. Alternatively, only boys' reports of school connectedness contributed to subsequent increases in both empathic concern and perspective taking 1 year later. Findings indicate that school connectedness and conflict with parents play different socializing roles for girls' and boys' empathic concern and perspective taking. The current study calls for further research and youth programs to consider the important contributions that socializing agents can make on both components of empathy for early adolescent girls and boys.
儿童同理心在文献中受到了相当多的关注，但有限的研究调查了各种社会化因素对青少年早期同理心的情感（例如，同理心关怀）和认知（例如，换位思考）成分的贡献。本研究以社会化理论为指导，考察了学校联系和亲子冲突对同理心两个成分在一年时间内后续水平的独特和相互作用的贡献。参与者是 487 名 10 至 14 岁的初中生（54%为女性；76%为欧裔美国人），他们参与了一项为期两年的研究，两次之间相隔一年。层次回归分析表明，在女孩中，亲子冲突的报告导致一年后同理心关怀的减少，而学校联系是一个保护因素，可以抵消亲子冲突对女孩随后换位思考的负面影响。相反，只有男孩的学校联系报告有助于一年后同理心关怀和换位思考的后续增加。研究结果表明，学校联系和与父母的冲突对女孩和男孩的同理心关怀和换位思考起着不同的社会化作用。本研究呼吁进一步研究和青年计划，考虑到社会代理人可以为青少年早期的女孩和男孩的同理心的两个成分做出的重要贡献。
