Top

Gepubliceerd in:

04-01-2022 | Original Article

Association Between Children’s Empathy and Depression: The Moderating Role of Social Preference

Auteurs: Dan Cui, Lisha Liu, Yanfang Li

Gepubliceerd in: Child Psychiatry & Human Development | Uitgave 3/2023

Abstract

Although empathy is typically an adaptive characteristic of children, extreme empathy alone or in combination with a negative environment may contribute to a risk of depression. The present study comprehensively investigated the associations between the three constructs of empathy and depression in children, as well as the potential moderating effect of peer relationships (i.e., social preference) on this association. A total of 1223 children (mean age = 10.50 ± .93 years) completed questionnaires on empathy and depression, and social preference was nominated by their peers. Cognitive empathy and positive empathy exerted a positive quadratic effect on depression, while negative empathy had a positive linear association with depression. For children with a low social preference, all three empathy constructs were positively quadratically correlated with depression, extremely high and low empathy were associated with increased depression, and moderate empathy was associated with the lowest level of depression. For children with a high social preference, higher positive empathy was associated with lower depression.

vorige artikel Symptom Dimension Breakpoints for the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV)

volgende artikel The Intergenerational Transmission of Maladaptive Parenting and its Impact on Child Mental Health: Examining Cross-Cultural Mediating Pathways and Moderating Protective Factors

Organization WH (2012) Depression: a global public health concern. WHO, Genebra

Tone EB, Tully EC (2014) Empathy as a ‘risky strength’: a multilevel examination of empathy and risk for internalizing disorders. Dev Psychopathol 26(4):1547–1565. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579414001199CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Zahn-Waxler C, Van Hulle C (2012) Empathy, guilt, and depression: When caring for others becomes costly to children. In: Oakley B, Knafo A, Madhavan G, Wilson DS (eds) Pathological altruism. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 321–334

Tully EC, Ames AM, Garcia SE, Donohue MR (2016) Quadratic associations between empathy and depression as moderated by emotion dysregulation. J Psychol 150(1):15–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2014.992382CrossRefPubMed

Jutten LH, Mark RE, Sitskoorn MM (2019) Empathy in informal dementia caregivers and its relationship with depression, anxiety, and burden. Int J Clin Health Psychol 19(1):12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2018.07.004CrossRefPubMed

Tully EC, Donohue MR (2017) Empathic responses to mother’s emotions predict internalizing problems in children of depressed mothers. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 48(1):94–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-016-0656-1CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Green LM, Missotten L, Tone EB, Luyckx K (2018) Empathy, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem in adolescence: the moderating role of the mother-adolescent relationship. J Child Fam Stud 27(12):3964–3974. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1216-zCrossRef

Bronfenbrenner U (1979) The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard university press

Coie JD, Coppotelli H, Dodge KA (1982) Dimensions and types of social status: A cross-age perspective. Dev Psychol 18(4):557–570. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.18.4.557CrossRef

10.

Harris JR (1995) Where is the child’s environment? A group socialization theory of development. Psychol Rev 102(3):458. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.102.3.45CrossRef

11.

Jeffrey D, Catherine P (2017) Links between contexts and middle to late childhood social-emotional development. Am J Commun Psychol. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12201CrossRef

12.

Cohen D, Strayer J (1996) Empathy in conduct-disordered and comparison youth. Dev Psychol 32(6):988–998. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.32.6.988CrossRef

13.

Reniers R, Corcoran R, Drake R, Shryane N, Voellm B (2011) The QCAE: a questionnaire of cognitive and affective empathy. J Pers Assess 93(1):84–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2010.528484CrossRefPubMed

14.

Zaki J, Ochsner K (2012) The neuroscience of empathy: progress, pitfalls and promise. Nat Neurosci 15(5):675–680. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3085CrossRefPubMed

15.

Davis MH (1983) The effects of dispositional empathy on emotional reactions and helping: a multidimensional approach. J Pers 2(167):184. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022CrossRef

16.

Morelli SA, Lieberman MD, Zaki J (2015) The emerging study of positive empathy. Soc Personal Psychol Compass 9(2):57–68. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12157CrossRef

17.

Andreychik MR, Migliaccio N (2015) Empathizing with others’ pain versus empathizing with others’ joy: examining the separability of positive and negative empathy and their relation to different types of social behaviors and social emotions. Basic Appl Soc Psych 37(5):274–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2015.1071256CrossRef

18.

Light SN, Coan JA, Zahn-Waxler C, Frye C, Goldsmith HH, Davidson RJ (2009) Empathy is associated with dynamic change in prefrontal brain electrical activity during positive emotion in children. Child Dev 80(4):1210–1231. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01326.xCrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

19.

O’Reilly J, Peterson C (2015) Maltreatment and advanced theory of mind development in school-aged children. J Fam Violence 30:93–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-014-9647-9CrossRef

20.

Sallquist J, Eisenberg N, Spinrad TL, Eggum ND, Gaertner BM (2009) Assessment of preschoolers’ positive empathy: concurrent and longitudinal relations with positive emotion, social competence, and sympathy. J Posit Psychol 4(3):223–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760902819444CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

21.

Cano A, Williams A (2010) Social interaction in pain: Reinforcing pain behaviors or building intimacy? Pain 149(1):9–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2009.10.010CrossRefPubMed

22.

Philipp K, Anne B, Fynn-Mathis T, Parianen L, Tania S (2016) Are strong empathizers better mentalizers? Evidence for independence and interaction between the routes of social cognition. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 11:1383–1392. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsw052CrossRef

23.

Macgowan TL, Schmidt LA (2020) Getting to the heart of childhood empathy: Relations with shyness and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Dev Psychobiol. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22035CrossRefPubMed

24.

Cox CL, Uddin LQ, Martino AD, Castellanos FX, Milham MP, Kelly C (2012) The balance between feeling and knowing: affective and cognitive empathy are reflected in the brain’s intrinsic functional dynamics. Social Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience 7:727. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsr051CrossRef

25.

Williams A, Driscoll KO, Moore C (2014) The influence of empathic concern on prosocial behavior in children. Front Psychol. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00425CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

26.

Boele S, Van der Graaff J, De Wied M, Van der Valk IE, Crocetti E, Branje S (2019) Linking parent–child and peer relationship quality to empathy in adolescence: a multilevel meta-analysis. J Youth Adolescence 48(6):1033–1055. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-00993-5CrossRef

27.

de Waal FBM (2008) Putting the altruism back into altruism: The evolution of empathy. Annu Rev Psychol 59:279–300. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093625CrossRefPubMed

28.

Schreiter S, Pijnenborg GHM (2013) Empathy in adults with clinical or subclinical depressive symptoms. J Affect Disord 150(1):1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.03.009CrossRefPubMed

29.

Hirschfeld R, Montgomery SA, Keller MB, Kasper S, Schatzberg AF, Ller M, Healy HJ, Psych D, Baldwin F, Psych D (2000) Social functioning in depression: a review. J Clin Psychiatry 61:268. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.v61n0405CrossRefPubMed

30.

Zahavi AY, Sabbagh MA, Washburn D, Mazurka R, Harkness KL (2016) Serotonin and dopamine gene variation and theory of mind decoding accuracy in major depression: a preliminary investigation. PLoS ONE 11:e150872. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0150872CrossRef

31.

Shamblaw AL, Benson JE, Harkness KL, Sabbagh MA (2019) Maternal depression and children’s false belief understanding. Soc Dev. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12369CrossRef

32.

Aan H, Mathew SJ, Charney DS (2009) Neurobiological mechanisms in major depressive disorder. CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne 180:305–313. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.080697CrossRef

33.

Price JL, Drevets WC (2012) Neural circuits underlying the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Trends Cogn Sci 16:61–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2011.12.011CrossRefPubMed

34.

Cusi AM, MacQueen GM, Spreng RN, McKinnon MC (2011) Altered empathic responding in major depressive disorder: relation to symptom severity, illness burden, and psychosocial outcome. Psychiat Res 188(2):231–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2011.04.013CrossRef

35.

Schneider D, Regenbogen C, Kellermann T, Finkelmeyer A, Kohn N, Derntl B, Habel U (2012) Empathic behavioral and physiological responses to dynamic stimuli in depression. Psychiat Res 200(2–3):294–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2012.03.054CrossRef

36.

Dinsdale N, Mokkonen M, Crespi B (2016) The ‘extreme female brain’: increased cognitive empathy as a dimension of psychopathology. Evol Hum Behav 37(4):323–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.02.003CrossRef

37.

Banzhaf C, Hoffmann F, Kanske P, Fan Y, Walter H, Spengler S, Bermpohl F (2018) Interacting and dissociable effects of alexithymia and depression on empathy. Psychiat Res 270:631–638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.10.045CrossRef

38.

Light SN, Moran ZD, Zahn-Waxler C, Davidson RJ (2019) The measurement of positive valence forms of empathy and their relation to anhedonia and other depressive symptomatology. Front Psychol 10:815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00815CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

39.

Bennik EC, Jeronimus BF, Rot MAH (2019) The relation between empathy and depressive symptoms in a Dutch population sample. J Affect Disord 242:48–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.008CrossRefPubMed

40.

Rubin KH, Bukowski WM, Parker JG (2006) Peer interactions, relationships, and groups. In:Damon W, Lerner RM, Eisenberg N (Eds.) Handbook of child psychology: vol 3 Social, emotional, and personality development, 6th ed. New York pp 571–645

41.

Gifford-Smith ME, Brownell CA (2003) Childhood peer relationships: social acceptance, friendships, and peer networks. J School Psychol 41:235–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(03)00048-7CrossRef

42.

Erdley CA, Nangle DW, Newman JE (2001) Children’s friendship experiences and psychological adjustment: theory and research. New Dir Child Adoles 2001:5. https://doi.org/10.1002/cd.3CrossRef

43.

Asher SR, Singleton LC, Tinsley BR, Hymel S (1979) A reliable sociometric measure for preschool children. Dev Psycho 115:443–444. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.15.4.443CrossRef

44.

Fontaine RG, Yang C, Burks VS, Dodge KA, Price JM, Pettit GS, Bates JE (2009) Loneliness as a partial mediator of the relation between low social preference in childhood and anxious/depressed symptoms in adolescence. Dev Psychopathol 21(2):479–491. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579409000261CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

45.

Platt B, Kadosh KC, Lau JYF (2013) The role of peer rejection in adolescent depression. Depress Anxiety 30(9):809. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22120CrossRefPubMed

46.

Witvliet M, van Lier PA, Brendgen M, Koot HM, Vitaro F (2010) Longitudinal associations between clique membership status and internalizing and externalizing problems during late childhood. J Clin Child Adolesc 39(5):693–704. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2010.501678CrossRef

47.

Jones LK, Duncan GJ (1999) The structure of achievement and behavior across middle childhood. Child Dev. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00067CrossRefPubMed

48.

Klimecki O, Singer T (2012) Empathic distress fatigue rather than compassion fatigue? Integrating findings from empathy research in psychology and social neuroscience. In: Oakley B, Knafo A, Madhavan G, Wilson DS (eds) Pathological altruism. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 368–383

49.

O’Connor LE, Berry JW, Lewis TB, Stiver DJ (2012) Empathy-based pathogenic guilt, pathological altruism, and psychopathology. In: Oakley B, Knafo A, Madhavan G, Wilson DS (eds) Pathological altruism. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 10–30

50.

Oakley B, Knafo A, McGrath M (2012) Pathological altruism—An introduction. In: Oakley B, Knafo A, Madhavan G, Wilson DS (eds) Pathological altruism. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 3–9

51.

Jack DC (1991) Silencing the self: Women and depression. Harvard University Press.

52.

Wang X, Su Y (2019) Revision of QCAE empathy scale for Chinese adolescents. Psychol Techniq Applicat 7(9):536–547

53.

Kovacs M (1992) The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) Manual. Multi-Health Systems, Toronto

54.

Chen X, Cen G, Li D, He Y (2005) Social functioning and adjustment in Chinese children: the imprint of historical time. Child Dev 76(1):182–195. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00838.xCrossRefPubMed

55.

Chen X, Huang X, Wang L, Chang L (2012) Aggression, peer relationships, and depression in Chinese children: a multiwave longitudinal study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 53(12):1233–1241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02576.xCrossRefPubMed

56.

Junsheng L, Ying Z, Dan LI, Xinyin C (2015) Relations between Preference for solitude and psychological adjustment in middle childhood and early adolescence: a moderated mediating model. Acta Psychol Sin 47(8):1004. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2015.01004CrossRef

57.

Aiken LS, West SG (1991) Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage, Newbury Park, London

58.

Miller JW, Stromeyer WR, Schwieterman MA (2013) Extensions of the johnson-neyman technique to linear models with curvilinear effects: derivations and analytical tools. Multivariate Behav Res 48(2):267–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2013.763567CrossRefPubMed

59.

Everaert J, Koster E, Derakshan N (2012) The combined cognitive bias hypothesisin depression. Clin Psychol Rev 32:413–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.04.003CrossRefPubMed

60.

Emsa B, Uha B, Afa B, Fsa B, Rcg C, Bdab D (2010) Implicit and explicit behavioral tendencies in male and female depression - ScienceDirect. Psychiat Res 177:124–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2010.02.001CrossRef

61.

Chambliss C, Cattai A, Benton P, Elghawy A, Fan M, Thompson K, Scavi Cc Hio D, Tanenbaum J (2012) Freudenfreude and Schadenfreude Test (FAST) scores of depressed and non-depressed undergraduates. Psychol Rep 111:115–116. https://doi.org/10.2466/02.07.21.PR0.111.4.115-116CrossRefPubMed

62.

Zaki J (2014) Empathy: a motivated account. Psychol Bull 140(6):1608. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037679CrossRefPubMed

63.

Williams KD (2009) Chapter 6 Ostracism A Temporal Need‐Threat Model. Elsev Sci Technol 275-314

64.

Donges US, Kersting A, Dannlowski U, Lalee-Mentzel J, Arolt V, Suslow T (2005) Reduced awareness of others’ emotions in unipolar depressed patients. J Nerv Ment Dis 193(5):331–337. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.nmd.0000161683.02482.19CrossRefPubMed

65.

Hodges SD, Biswas-Diener R (2007) Balancing the empathy expense account: Strategies for regulating empathic response In: Farrow T, Woodruff P (Eds) Empathy in mental illness Cambridge University Press, pp 389–407 Doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511543753.022

66.

O’Connor LE, Berry JW, Weiss J, Gilbert P (2002) Guilt, fear, submission, and empathy in depression. J Affect Disord 71(1–3):19–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-0327(01)00408-6CrossRefPubMed

67.

Inoue Y, Yamada K, Kanba S (2006) Deficit in theory of mind is a risk for relapse of major depression. J Affect Disord 95:125–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2006.04.018CrossRefPubMed

68.

Riggs NR, Greenberg MT, Kusché CA, Pentz MA (2006) The Mediational role of neurocognition in the behavioral outcomes of a social-emotional prevention program in elementary school students: effects of the PATHS curriculum. Prev 7:91–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-005-0022-1CrossRef

69.

Carroll I, Kevin S, Christopher T, David S (2008) Beyond emotion regulation: emotion utilization and adaptive functioning. Child Dev Perspect 2:156–163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2008.00058.xCrossRef

Titel: Association Between Children’s Empathy and Depression: The Moderating Role of Social Preference
Auteurs: Dan Cui
Lisha Liu
Yanfang Li
Publicatiedatum: 04-01-2022
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Child Psychiatry & Human Development / Uitgave 3/2023
Print ISSN: 0009-398X
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-3327
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01312-5

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Andere artikelen Uitgave 3/2023

Examining the Mental Health Presentations of Treatment-Seeking Transgender and Gender Nonconforming (TGNC) Youth

Media Awareness and Screen Time Reduction in Children, Youth or Families: A Systematic Literature Review

Global Workforce Development in Father Engagement Competencies for Family-Based Interventions Using an Online Training Program: A Mixed-Method Feasibility Study

Acceptability and Feasibility of Stepped-Care for Anxious Adolescents in Community Mental Health Services: A Secondary Analysis

Adaptation and Validation of the Subjective Risk Intelligence Scale for Italian Adolescents (SRIS-A)

Treatment Implications of Sleep-Related Problems in Pediatric Anxiety Disorders: A Narrative Review of the Literature