Empathy as a Mediator of the Relationship between Authoritative Parenting and Delinquent Behavior in Adolescence

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices among medical students toward depression management: a cross-sectional study in China

Background

The prevalence of depression among university and college students in China is nearly one-quarter. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) among medical students toward depression management. Depression, a significant public health issue, has a substantial impact on students, with a reported prevalence of 23.8% among university and college students in China.

Methods

This web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2023 and October 2023 at three medical universities in China. A self-administered questionnaire collected demographic information and assessed medical students' KAP on depression management.

Results

A total of 632 participants were enrolled in this study from three medical universities. Among them, 383 (60.60%) were female, and the participants were aged 20.17 years on average (SD ± 1.80). Most of their family members (521, 82.44%) were not in the medical profession. Using a validated 15-point knowledge scale, a 50-point attitude scale, and a 30-point practice scale, which covered areas such as symptom recognition, treatment approaches, and stigma related to depression, the mean knowledge, attitudes and practices scores were 10.55 ± 3.36 (possible range: 0-15), 41.72 ± 4.45 (possible range: 10-50) and 19.79 ± 5.44 (possible range: 6-30), respectively. Males had lower knowledge (p = 0.003). Only children had higher practice (p = 0.034). Urban residents had higher attitudes (p = 0.046). Higher income linked to better practice (p = 0.047). Freshmen scored higher across all KAP (p < 0.05). Medical family background linked to better knowledge (p = 0.005). The attitude scores were correlated with the practice scores (r = 0.403, p = 0.004). The structural equation model demonstrated that knowledge had direct effects on attitude and practice, as indicated by a path coefficient of 0.725 (p < 0.001) and 0.370 (p = 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, attitude had direct effects on practices, with a path coefficient of 0.509 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The study revealed that medical students possessed sufficient knowledge and demonstrated active attitudes but exhibited limited practical skills in managing depression. In investigating the KAP of medical students, it is essential to integrate specific practical applications, such as role-playing scenarios and case studies, into the curriculum. These methods will emphasize the importance of knowledge, foster positive attitudes, and promote peer collaboration to enhance practical skills in depression management.

Interpersonal school violence and mother-child communication about violence in relation to empathy in early adolescence

INTRODUCTION

Exposure to interpersonal violence at school has been linked with lower empathy, but less is known about factors that may moderate this relationship. Positive parent-child communication has been associated with higher empathy during adolescence and children of parents that communicate their disapproval of violent behavior respond more peacefully in situations involving violence. Mother-child communication about violence may therefore reduce the risk of desensitization to violent behavior and promote empathy in youth that are frequently exposed to violence. Thus, this study examines whether mother-child communication about violence mitigates the association between exposure to interpersonal school violence and adolescents' empathy.

METHODS

This study addressed this question using a diverse sample of early adolescents from the Southeastern United States in 2003 (N = 642; mean age 11.3 years; 52% male; 76% Black, 22% non-Hispanic White). Adolescents reported on how often they witness or experience interpersonal violence at school and how often they communicate with their mother about violence and how to avoid it. Adolescents also self-reported on their level of empathy.

RESULTS

Results from a hierarchical regression model showed that exposure to interpersonal school violence and lower mother-child communication about violence were uniquely associated with lower empathy, but communication about violence did not moderate the link between interpersonal school violence exposure and empathy. There were no sex differences in these relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Contrary to the hypothesis, youth who experience and witness interpersonal violence at school show lower empathy independent of whether youth communicate with their mother about violence and responding to violent situations.

Family Emotional Expressiveness and Adolescents' Cyberbullying Bystanders: The Mediating Role of Empathy

Background

The significant influence of family emotional expressiveness (FEE) on adolescents' face-to-face social interactions is well-established. However, there has been limited investigation into potential links between FEE and adolescents' online social behaviors, especially cyberbullying bystander behaviors, which are pivotal in cyberbullying incidents. This study aimed to assess the relative importance of different aspects of FEE (positive FEE vs. negative FEE vs. the Positive-to-Negative ratio) in predicting adolescents' cyberbullying bystander behaviors, and the mediating roles of affective and cognitive empathy in these relationships.

Methods

A sample of 1,952 adolescents (Mage = 14.18, SD = 1.33) completed questionnaires, including the Family Emotional Expressiveness Questionnaire, Basic Empathy Scale, and Cyberbullying Bystander Behavior Scale. SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.3 were used for analysis.

Results

(1) Positive FEE exhibited a positive association with protective behavior and a negative association with indifferent behavior. Conversely, negative FEE showed positive associations with reinforcing and indifferent behaviors. However, the Positive-to-Negative ratio did not exhibit significant associations with any of the three bystander behaviors. (2) Negative FEE emerged as relatively more significant than both positive FEE and the Positive-to-Negative ratio in predicting reinforcing and indifferent behaviors. (3) Affective empathy mediated the relationship between positive FEE and reinforcing behavior, while cognitive empathy mediated the relationship between positive FEE and protective and indifferent behaviors. Moreover, cognitive empathy exerted a more influential role than affective empathy in this mediation process.

Conclusion

Various aspects of FEE demonstrated distinct relationships with three cyberbullying bystander behaviors, with affective and cognitive empathy playing an important mediating role in the association. This finding holds substantial implications for the development of cyberbullying prevention strategies. Such strategies could target the reduction of negative emotional expression within adolescent families and the cultivation of both cognitive and affective empathy.

Association between screen time and depressive symptoms in a sample of Chinese medical students: Mediator role of empathy

Medical students are at high risk of psychological subhealth under heavy stress with increasing screen time. This study aimed to explore the association between screen time and depressive symptoms and determine empathy as a mediating factor. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 945 medical students were surveyed, and 924 medical students were ultimately included after standard exclusion criteria. They reported their daily screen time and completed the Chinese version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version (JSE-S) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). t tests and analysis of variance showed a significant difference in empathy and depressive symptoms by sex, stage, and screen time. The correlation analysis revealed that both affective and cognitive empathy have inverse associations with depressive symptoms. The mediation model confirmed that cognitive empathy played a positive mediating role between screen time and depressive symptoms, reducing the impact of screen time on depressive symptoms. Our study may add empirical evidence to prevent and intervene in depressive symptoms. These findings call for considering controlling screen time and enhancing cognitive empathy as interventions for medical students' depressive symptoms.

Comparison of perceived parental empathy between adolescents with leukemia and healthy adolescents: A comparative descriptive study

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare perceived parental empathy between adolescents with and without leukemia.

Methods

This study used a cross-sectional, descriptive design. Thirty-eight adolescents with leukemia and 205 without, completed a self-reported questionnaire regarding their perceptions of parental empathy and general characteristics. For this comparative study, adolescents were selected through matched sampling, and 38 adolescents per group were used for analysis. Data were examined using independent t-tests.

Results

In terms of parental empathy, excessive emotional reactions and cold emotional reactions were perceived more frequently by adolescents with leukemia than healthy adolescents. Differences between the two groups were statistically significant.

Conclusion

Since parents caring for children with leukemia have an extra burden in caring for their children, these parents are continuously anxious about prognoses, and tend to feel guilty for their child's disease. Thus, healthcare providers need to develop a program for improving the ability of parents of cancer patients to demonstrate empathy, focusing on how to recognize and manage what may be perceived by their children as excessive or cold emotional reactions, and must take a role in communicating to parents how adolescents with leukemia perceive parental rearing behaviors and the impacts of these behaviors on their well-being.

The emotional intelligence of today's parents - influences on parenting style and parental competence

The emotional intelligence of parents and parental competence become two premises of effective parenting. This study contributes to the understanding of how parents' emotional intelligence exerts its effect on both their parenting style and parenting competence. The present research also sought to identify the factors that determine the level of parental competence. The research method used is the questionnaire-based survey. The research sample, represented by 610 respondents, was determined by the sampling strategy based on convenience, respectively by the snowball method. The results indicated that the emotional intelligence of parents is associated with an increased level of parental competence (r = 0.24, p < 0.001), and 15% of the variability of parental competence is determined by the level of parental emotional intelligence (R = 0.38, p < 0.00, R² = 0.15). It was demonstrated that 6% of the variability of parental competence is determined by the level of parents' self-esteem (R = 0.24, p < 0.001, R² = 0.06). The emotional intelligence and self-esteem of the parents contribute to the development of a high level of parental competence, while the level of education of the respondents according to this research partially influences the development of parental competence. Despite the fact that a high educational level of parents is assumed to give them access to quality information, the Barnum effect is experienced regardless of educational level. According to the field of parenting, the Barnum effect refers to consulting non-scientifically validated sources and trusting information that responds to parents' wishes, but not to children's educational needs.These results highlight the role of parents' emotional intelligence on the growth and education of children, but also the usefulness of training programs in the field of parenting with the aim of training parents in the necessary skills for effective parenting.

Age- and sex-based differences in the moral intuitions of American early adolescents

This study sought to explore the validity of a latent-factor model of moral intuition development during early adolescence. The 3-Factor Character Foundations Survey (CFS-3) was used to assess the moral intuitions of early adolescents (n = 850, mean = 12.4 years old, SD = 0.96) under a moral foundations theory framework. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the psychometric validity of the three latent factor constructs (autonomy, loyalty and empathy), and partial metric invariance was established to allow for the comparison of latent factor means between four age- and sex-based groups coinciding with averages for pubertal onset. Results support prior findings of greater latent factor means for females in all three factors when compared with males in the 11-12-year-old age group. Additionally, 13-14-year-old females exhibited lower latent factor means in autonomy and loyalty factors when compared with 11-12-year-old females. This resulted in 13-14-year-old females remaining higher in empathy and autonomy but showing no difference in loyalty when compared with 13-14-year-old males. The results are interpreted through the lens of attachment theory, socio-cultural influence and certain limitations of the survey instrument itself. Suggestions for future studies are proposed.