Psychological Development and Education ›› 2021, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (3): 439-446.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2021.03.15

Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Associations and Pathways between Empathy and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

CHEN Hui1, HE Ting1, TANG Yuanqiong2, TANG Yixin1, LU Fengyong3, LIN Xiuyun1   

  1. 1. Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875;
    2. Sichuan Luxian NO.2 High School, Luzhou 646106;
    3. Xinglong Middle School, Linyi County, Dezhou 251505
  • Published:2021-05-18

RichHTML

PDF (PC)

Abstract: Internalizing and externalizing problems were identified as the most common prevalence psychological and behavior problems among adolescents. Although empathy has close relationship with adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems, the different relationships among the components of empathy (i.e., cognitive empathy, affective empathy) and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems remain less studied in previous studies, also the pathway between empathy and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. The present study firstly reviewed the associations between cognitive empathy, affective empathy and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. Furthermore, we introduced the generation model of empathy (Self to Other Model of Empathy, SOME), the development model of empathy (Risky Empathy Development Model, REDM) and related neurophysiological factors to promote the elaboration of the pathway between empathy and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. In future, the definition and components of empathy should be clarified and distinguished. More efforts should be devoted to the development of measures and the exploration of the relationship between behavioral empathy and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems. In order to construct systematic theoretical models on the relationship between empathy and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems, individual characteristics, special groups and cultural backgrounds should be involved in the future studies.

Key words: empathy, internalizing and externalizing problems, adolescent, self to other model, risky empathy development model

CLC Number: 

  • B844
Ackermann, K., Martinelli, A., Bernhard, A., Freitag, C. M., Büttner, G., & Schwenck, C. (2019). Friendship quality in youth with and without disruptive behavior disorders:The role of empathy, aggression, and callousness. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 50(5), 776-788.
Arias, J. M. C., Acosta, C. A. P., Valencia, J. G., Montoya, G. J., Viana, J. C. A., Nieto, O. C.,… Achury, J. G. (2011). Exploring epistasis in candidate genes for antisocial personality disorder. Psychiatric Genetics, 21(3), 115-124.
Bird, G., & Viding, E. (2014). The self to other model of empathy:Providing a new framework for understanding empathy impairments in psychopathy, autism, and alexithymia. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 47, 520-532.
Boele, S., Van der Graaff, J., De Wied, M., Van der Valk, I. E., Crocetti, E., & Branje, S. (2019). Linking parent-child and peer relationship quality to empathy in adolescence:A multilevel meta-analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(6), 1033-1055.
Bryant, B. K. (1982). An index of empathy for children and adolescents. Child Development, 53(2), 413-425.
Clark, M. A., Robertson, M. M., & Young, S. (2019). "I feel your pain":A critical review of organizational research on empathy. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(2), 166-192.
Crocetti, E., Graaff, J. V. D., Moscatelli, S., Keijsers, L., Koot, H. M., & Rubini, M., …Branje, S. (2016). A longitudinal study on the effects of parental monitoring on adolescent antisocial behaviors:The moderating role of adolescent empathy. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1-7.
Dadds, M. R., Cauchi, A. J., Wimalaweera, S., Hawes, D. J., & Brennan, J. (2012). Outcomes, moderators, and mediators of empathic-emotion recognition training for complex conduct problems in childhood. Psychiatry Research, 199(3), 201-207.
Davis, M. H. (1983). Measuring individual differences in empathy:Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44(1), 113-126.
De Wied, M., Gispen-de Wied, C., & Van Boxtel, A. (2010). Empathy dysfunction in children and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders. European Journal of Pharmacology, 626(1), 97-103.
Dinić, B. M., Kodžopeljić, J. S., Sokolovska, V. T., & Milovanović, I. Z. (2016). Empathy and peer violence among adolescents:Moderation effect of gender. School Psychology International, 37(4), 359-377.
Dong, D., Jiang, Y., Gao, Y., Ming, Q., Wang, X., & Yao, S. (2019). Atypical frontotemporal connectivity of cognitive empathy in male adolescents with conduct disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1-8.
Everaert, J., Koster, E. H. W., & Derakshan, N. (2012). The combined cognitive bias hypothesis in depression. Clinical Psychology Review, 32, 413-424.
Gambin, M., & Sharp, C. (2018a). Relations between empathy and anxiety dimensions in inpatient adolescents. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 31(4), 447-458.
Gambin, M., & Sharp, C. (2018b). The relations between empathy, guilt, shame and depression in inpatient adolescents. Journal of Affective Disorders, 241, 381-387.
Green, L. M., Missotten, L., Tone, E. B., & Luyckx, K. (2018). Empathy, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem in adolescence:The moderating role of the mother-adolescent relationship. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(12), 3964-3974.
Hawk, S. T., Hale I. I. I. W. W., Raaijmakers, Q. A., & Meeus, W. (2008). Adolescents' perceptions of privacy invasion in reaction to parental solicitation and control. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 28(4), 583-608.
Hunnikin, L. M., Wells, A. E., Ash, D. P., & Van Goozen, S. H. (2019). The nature and extent of emotion recognition and empathy impairments in children showing disruptive behaviour referred into a crime prevention programme. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 1-9.
Jolliffe, D., & Farrington, D. P. (2006). Development and validation of the Basic Empathy Scale. Journal of Adolescence, 29(4), 589-611.
Kahn, R. E., Frick, P. J., Golmaryami, F. N., & Marsee, M. A. (2017). The moderating role of anxiety in the associations of callous-unemotional traits with self-report and laboratory measures of affective and cognitive empathy. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 45(3), 583-596.
Kanat-Maymon, M., & Assor, A. (2010). Perceived maternal control and responsiveness to distress as predictors of young adults' empathic responses. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(1), 33-46.
Knight, L. K., Stoica, T., Fogleman, N. D., & Depue, B. E. (2019). Convergent neural correlates of empathy and anxiety during socioemotional processing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 13, 1-15.
Laghi, F., Lonigro, A., Pallini, S., & Baiocco, R. (2018). Emotion regulation and empathy:Which relation with social conduct? The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 179(2), 62-70.
Larson, E. B., & Yao, X. (2005). Clinical empathy as emotional labor in the patient-physician relationship. The Journal of American Medical Association, 293(9), 1100-1106.
Levy, J., Goldstein, A., & Feldman, R. (2019). The neural development of empathy is sensitive to caregiving and early trauma. Nature Communications, 10(1),1-10.
Miller, P. A., & Eisenberg, N. (1988). The relation of empathy to aggressive and externalizing/antisocial behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 324-344.
Moore, T. M., Scarpa, A., & Raine, A. (2002). A meta-analysis of serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA and antisocial behavior. Aggressive Behavior:Official Journal of the International Society for Research on Aggression, 28(4), 299-316.
Morrison, A. S., Mateen, M. A., Brozovich, F. A., Zaki, J., Goldin, P. R., & Heimberg, R. G., & Gross, J. J. (2016). Empathy for positive and negative emotions in social anxiety disorder. Behaviour Research & Therapy, 87, 232-242.
Moul, C., Hawes, D. J., & Dadds, M. R. (2018). Mapping the developmental pathways of child conduct problems through the neurobiology of empathy. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 91, 34-50.
Ognibene, E., Adriani, W., Caprioli, A., Ghirardi, O., Ali, S. F., Aloe, L., & Laviola, G. (2008). The effect of early maternal separation on brain derived neurotrophic factor and monoamine levels in adult heterozygous reeler mice. Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 32(5), 1269-1276.
Overgaauw, S., Rieffe, C., Broekhof, E., Crone, E. A., & Güroğlu, B. (2017). Assessing empathy across childhood and adolescence:Validation of the Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (EmQue-CA). Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1-9.
Raine, A., & Chen, F. R. (2017). The cognitive, affective, and somatic empathy scales (CASES) for children. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 47(1), 24-37.
Rai, R., Mitchell, P., Kadar, T., & Mackenzie, L. (2016). Adolescent egocentrism and the illusion of transparency:Are adolescents as egocentric as we might think? Current Psychology, 35(3), 285-294.
Sánchez-Pérez, N., Fuentes, L. J., Jolliffe, D., & González-Salinas, C. (2014). Assessing children's empathy through a Spanish adaptation of the basic empathy scale:Parent's and child's report forms. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1-13.
Schwenck, C., Göhle, B., Hauf, J., Warnke, A., Freitag, C. M., & Schneider, W. (2014). Cognitive and emotional empathy in typically developing children:The influence of age, gender, and intelligence. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 11(1), 63-76.
Smith, R. L. (2015). Adolescents' emotional engagement in friends' problems and joys:Associations of empathetic distress and empathetic joy with friendship quality, depression, and anxiety. Journal of Adolescence, 45, 103-111.
Tabak, B. A., Meyer, M. L., Castle, E., Dutcher, J. M., Irwin, M. R., Han, J. H.,… Eisenberger, N. I. (2015). Vasopressin, but not oxytocin, increases empathic concern among individuals who received higher levels of paternal warmth:A randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 51, 253-261.
Tamayo, C. A., Rizkalla, M. N., & Henderson, K. K. (2016). Cognitive, behavioral and emotional empathy in pharmacy students:Targeting programs for curriculum modification. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 7, 1-8.
Tone, E. B., & Tully, E. C. (2014). Empathy as a "risky strength":A multilevel examination of empathy and risk for internalizing disorders. Development and Psychopathology, 26, 1547-1565.
Van der Graaff, J., Branje, S., De Wied, M., & Meeus, W. (2012). The moderating role of empathy in the association between parental support and adolescent aggressive and delinquent behavior. Aggressive Behavior, 38(5), 368-377.
Van Doorn, M. D., Branje, S. J. T., Van der Valk, I. E., De Goede, I. H. A., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2011). Longitudinal spillover effects of conflict resolution styles between adolescent-parent relationships and adolescent friendships. Journal of Family Psychology, 25(1), 157-161.
Van Lissa, C. J., Hawk, S. T., De Wied, M., Koot, H. M., Van Lier, P., & Meeus, W. (2014). The longitudinal interplay of affective and cognitive empathy within and between adolescents and mothers. Developmental Psychology, 50(4), 1219-1225.
Van Lissa, C. J., Hawk, S. T., & Meeus, W. H. J. (2017). The effects of affective and cognitive empathy on adolescents' behavior and outcomes in conflicts with mothers. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 158, 32-45.
Willner, C. J., Gatzke-Kopp, L. M., & Bray, B. C. (2016). The dynamics of internalizing and externalizing comorbidity across the early school years. Development and Psychopathology, 28, 1033-1052.
Zaki, J., & Ochsner, K. N. (2012). The neuroscience of empathy:Progress, pitfalls and promise. Nature Neuroscience, 15(5), 675-680.
黄翯青, 苏彦捷. (2012). 共情的毕生发展:一个双过程的视角. 心理发展与教育, 28(4), 434-441.
刘影, 桑标, 龚少英, 丁雪辰, 潘婷婷. (2016). 情绪表达抑制功能的文化差异. 心理科学进展, 24(10), 1647-1654.
李小芳, 卞晨阳, 陈艳琳, 黄娟, 马玉巧, 余毅震. (2015). 青少年移情发展特点及其与攻击行为的关系. 中国心理卫生杂志, 29(9), 708-713.
彭源, 朱蕾, 王振宏. (2018). 父母情绪表达与青少年问题行为:亲子依恋、孤独感的多重中介效应. 心理发展与教育, 34(4), 504-512.
任巧悦, 孙元淼, 吕雪靖, 黄超, 胡理. (2019). 基于心理生理学视角的共情研究:方法与特点. 科学通报, 64(22), 2292-2304.
魏东霞, 谌新民. (2018). 共情陪伴与留守儿童精神健康——基于2010年中国家庭追踪调查的实证研究. 世界经济文汇, 246(5), 76-95.
杨业, 汤艺, 彭微微, 吕雪靖, 胡理, 陈军. (2017). 共情:遗传-环境-内分泌-大脑机制. 科学通报, 62(32), 3729-3742.
[1] WANG Yulong, ZHAO Jingfei, LIN Xiuyun. Cumulative Effects of Family Risk Factors on Adolescent Non-suicidal Self-injury and Its Gender Difference [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2024, 40(2): 240-247.
[2] WANG Yanhui, SHEN Zifeng, LAI Xuefen. The Relation between Parental Psychological Control and Adolescent Externalizing Problem Behavior: The Chain Mediating Role of Effortful Control and Deviant Peer Affiliation [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2024, 40(2): 248-256.
[3] XIAO Jialin, LIANG Kaixin, HUANG Liuyue, WANG Enna, HUANG Qiaomin, HE Yunhan, LU Baolin, CHI Xinli. The Cumulative Effects, Relationship Model, and the Effects of Specific Positive Development Assets in Reducing Adolescent Depression [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2024, 40(2): 257-269.
[4] WEI Hua, DING Huimin, CHEN Wu, HAO Xingfeng, XIONG Jie. The Relationship between Parents’ Phubbing and Adolescents’ Cyberbullying: The Mediating Effects of Stress and the Moderating Effects of Age [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2024, 40(1): 114-121.
[5] YAN Zhiqiang, ZHOU Ke, ZENG Xiao, XU Hui, ZHU Xiaoqian, ZHANG Juan. The Relationship between Preschooler’s Executive Function and Aggressive Behavior: The Mediation Effect of Cognitive Empathy [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(6): 788-797.
[6] ZOU Shengqi, WU Xinchun. Association between Parental Conflict and Peer Attachment: An Examination of the Mediation Effect of Parent-adolescent Attachment and Gender Difference [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(6): 798-807.
[7] PENG Haiyun, SHENG Liang, QIU Fanshuo, ZHOU Ziyan, XIN Sufei. Psychological Burden Reduction Starts from Dealing with Boredom: The Influencing Mechanism of Boredom Proneness on Subjective Well-being among Adolescents [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(6): 895-902.
[8] LIU Qing, FENG Lan. The Mediating Role of Parenting between Parents' Marital Quality and Adolescents' Sibling Relationship and Its Gender Difference [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(5): 654-662.
[9] SHA Jingying, ZHANG Xiangkui, LIU Qiandong. Do Birds of a Feather Flock Together? The Influence of Academic Motivation Comparison on Adolescents' Peer Selection [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(5): 683-690.
[10] ZHANG Wen, WANG Zhenhong. The Relationship between Negative Life Events and the Internalizing Problems among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Social Support and the Moderating Role of Parent-adolescent Cohesion [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(5): 718-725.
[11] HONG Xinwei, MIAO Lingtong, FAN Hang, SONG Minghua, ZHU Tingting, LIU Shen, ZHANG Lin. The Relationship between Parental Conflict and Adolescents' Aggressive Behavior: Roles of Emotional Security and School Connectedness [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(5): 726-734.
[12] WANG Yulong, SU Huijuan, LIN Xiuyun. The Classification of Self-injury in Adolescents: Based on Latent Profile Analysis [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(5): 735-742.
[13] JI Linqin, ZOU Xiaohui, ZHANG Lulu, ZHANG Liang. The Relationship between Children and Adolescent's Bullying Behavior and Callous-unemotional Traits and Empathy: A Cross-lagged Analysis [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(4): 532-541.
[14] HU Yihao, XU Luyan, BIAN Xiaohua, ZHOU Ying, LIU Junsheng. Peer Victimization and Depression among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effects of Classroom Norm Salience for Aggression [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(4): 542-549.
[15] BAO Zhenzhou, CHU Yijia, WANG Fan, LIU Xixi. Adolescents' Outsider Behaviors in School Bullying: The Roles of School Climate, School Connectedness and Moral Disengagement [J]. Psychological Development and Education, 2023, 39(4): 580-589.
Viewed
Full text


Abstract

Cited
  Shared   
  Discussed   
No Suggested Reading articles found!
Copyright 2018 © Editorial office of Psychological Development and Education
Supported by Beijing Magtech Co.Ltd