Abstract
Preschoolers face new challenges in their social life: the development of social and emotional abilities in order to have positive relationships with peers and adults. Empathy, the ability to share and understand the emotions of others, contributes to this socio-emotional adjustment. This exploratory study examines mothers and fathers' perceptions of their child's empathy and individual factors, such as age, gender, and personality, which are related to cognitive and affective empathy in 63 typically developing preschoolers. Links between children's individual characteristics (empathy and personality) and their social adjustment on the one hand and risk of developing internalized vs. externalized behaviors on the other were also investigated. Parents completed four questionnaires about their child's empathy, personality, and social (mal)adjustment. The results showed that mothers and fathers perceived their children's cognitive and affective empathy, attention to others' feelings, and social actions (such as helping), in the same way, except for emotion contagion. Gender differences appeared specifically for some components of empathy: girls were said to pay more attention to others' emotions while boys had better cognitive empathy. Moreover, children's empathy as perceived by mothers or fathers was positively linked with their age, and with personality factors (extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, and openness to experience). Cognitive empathy and personality were found to be partly related to higher social skills and lower externalized and internalized behaviors. The results nuanced specific links between cognitive and affective empathy and social adjustment as well as behavior problems at preschool age. These results may have some implications for future research and prevention in childhood.
Highlights
Preschoolers face new challenges when they enter kindergarten
Preschoolers need to learn about the sharing of positive and negative emotions felt by others or by themselves
Children are situated on a continuum from less to more extrovert, open to experience, emotionally stable, conscientious, and agreeable
Summary
Preschoolers face new challenges when they enter kindergarten. In this social environment, their social interactions multiply and they experience or witness various emotional situations with peers and adults, in school environment. Preschoolers need to learn about the sharing of positive and negative emotions felt by others or by themselves. They themselves may experience difficult social situations, conflict, aggressive behavior, isolation, or distress, or they may see other children doing so. Preschoolers may have difficulties in managing their emotions and social behaviors, in responding adequately
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