Attachment security and child’s empathy: The mediating role of emotion regulation
Abstract
The current study examined the influence of multiple factors on individual differ- ences in empathy; namely, attachment, negative emotionality, and emotion regulation. A total of 63 mothers completed the Attachment Q-set and questionnaires about their children’s empathy, negative emotionality, and emotion regulation when children were 3 years old. Prosocial behavior was observed during a baby-cry procedure. Results of path analyses indicated that a model with attachment predicting empathy through the mediation of emotion regulation was the best fit for the data. Specifically, more-secure children were rated higher in emotion regulation and, consequently, higher in empathy. Furthermore, the optimal model was used to test empathy as a predictor of observed prosocial behavior. Here, children higher in empathy were observed to behave more prosocially. Overall, the results support the notion that more-secure children are more empathic because they are better emotion regulators.
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Attachment also affects empathy through emotional regulation.
“In addition, attachment also affects empathy through emotional regulation [31].”
From The Relationship between Empathy and Attachment in Children and Adolescents: Three-Level Meta-Analyses. (2022) · cites this paper as [31]
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- Authors
- Panfile, T. M., & Laible, D. J.
- ORCID
- Laible, Deborah J.
- Venue
- Merrill-palmer Quarterly
- Publisher
- Project MUSE
- Published
- 2012
- Volume
- 58
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1-21
- ISSN
- 0272-930X (ISSN-L)
- 1535-0266
- OpenAlex
- W2039294189
- Cited by
- 184
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 12.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Merrill-palmer Quarterly (publishedVersion)
- Human Biology (submittedVersion)
- Project Muse (Johns Hopkins University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Keywords
- attachment security, empathy, emotion regulation, negative affectivity, prosocial behavior, infant crying, mother-child relationship, mediation, individual differences, Attachment Q-Set
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