Index Of Empathy For Children Research Articles

Long-term music instruction is partially associated with the development of socioemotional skills.

This study aims to investigate the development of pitch-matching, rhythmic entrainment, and socioemotional skills in children who received formal music instruction and other non-music based after school programs. Eighty-three children, averaging 6.81 years old at baseline, were enrolled in either a music, sports, or no after-school program and followed over four years. The music program involved formal and systematic instruction in music theory, instrumental technique, and performance. Most control participants had no music education; however, in some instances, participants received minimal music education at school or at church. Musical development was measured using a pitch-matching and drumming-based rhythmic entrainment task. Sharing behavior was measured using a variation of the dictator game, and empathy was assessed using three different assessments: the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescence (trait empathy), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (theory of mind), and a Fiction Emotion-Matching task (state empathy). Results revealed no time-related associations in pitch-matching ability; however, formal music instruction improved pitch-matching relative to controls. On the contrary, improvements in rhythmic entrainment were best explained by age-related changes rather than music instruction. This study also found limited support for a positive association between formal music instruction and socioemotional skills. That is, individuals with formal music instruction exhibited improved emotion-matching relative to those with sports training. In terms of general socioemotional development, children's trait-level affective empathy did not improve over time, while sharing, theory of mind, and state empathy did. Additionally, pitch-matching and rhythmic entrainment did not reliably predict any socioemotional measures, with associations being trivial to small. While formal music instruction benefitted pitch-matching ability and emotion-matching to an audiovisual stimulus, it was not a significant predictor of rhythmic entrainment or broader socioemotional development. These findings suggest that the transfer of music training may be most evident in near or similar domains.

Papel de la empatía en los agresores y las víctimas del acoso escolar: un estudio transversal

Role of empathy in aggressors and victims of bullying: A cross-sectional study. Bullying is a phenomenon that is present in the classroom. The emotional competences that children develop as they grow up may be related to their participation in this process. Empathy is a competence that is affected in aggressors and victims. This paper analysed whether there are differences in the level of empathy depending on the participants in bullying (victims and bullies). In addition, we studied whether there are differences in empathy according to the gender of the person towards whom the empathic action is directed and who is exercising it. The sample consisted of 180 children, 50% girls and 50% boys between 10 and 12 years of age, with a mean of 11.23 years and a standard deviation of .914, recruited from five schools in the province of Alicante (Petrel, Ibi and Alicante), Spain. The children responded to the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA) questionnaire to assess empathy and to the Bull-S test to assess possible aggressor and victim profiles in the classroom. Bullies and victims scored lower on empathy than the overall sample mean, although there was no difference in empathy between bullies and victims. Girls scored higher on empathy than boys. Girls were more empathetic towards girls than boys. It is concluded that emotional competences may be affected in people involved in bullying situations. Therefore, priority should be given to prevention programmes based on improving emotional competences in order to prevent the problem of bullying before it occurs. Keywords: bullying; empathy; aggressor; victim; gender.

Children’s and Adolescents’ Pet Attachment, Empathy, and Compassionate Responding to Self and Others

The research shows that children’s and adolescents’ attachments with pets play an important role in their social and emotional lives. However, little research exists on how children and adolescents show compassion toward themselves and others and how this caring ability relates to their attachment with pets. This study explored the relations among children’s and adolescents’ compassion, empathy, and attachment to their pets. Sixty-one Canadian youths aged 7–15.9 years (M = 11.35) participated in this study (n = 38 g, 23 b) and completed self-report questionnaires including the Lexington Attachment to Pets scale, subscale of Dispositional Positive Emotions, Self-compassion scale for children, and Bryant’s Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA). The results showed older adolescents were more likely than younger children to score high on cognitive and emotional dimensions of empathy and be less likely to feel alone and isolated. High levels of emotional pet attachment related to high levels of the ability to feel sad when witnessing others in distress and high levels of mindful, compassionate, and self-responding feelings of compassion for others. The results also showed that those participants who experienced intensified emotional attachment toward their pets (either current or in the past), were less likely to judge themselves in negative ways. Overall, our findings suggest that children’s emotional attachments with pets relate to their ability to respond to themselves and others in kind and compassionate ways and not necessarily their ability to understand another person’s emotions.

The Relationship Between Humane Interactions with Animals, Empathy, and Prosocial Behavior among Children

Abstract We investigated the relationship between empathy, prosocial behavior, and frequency of humane interactions with animals among 3 rd grade children (n = 158). We measured the frequency of humane interactions with animals via the Children’s Treatment of Animals Questionnaire ( Thompson & Gullone, 2003 ), empathy via the Bryant Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents ( Bryant, 1982 ), and prosocial behavior via teachers’ evaluations of children’s helpfulness towards others in the classroom. Results showed that children who had more frequent interactions with animals that involved a strong element of companionship reported greater empathy, and that this, in turn, related positively to prosocial behavior (measured by teacher’s report). A mediational model in which empathy accounts for the effect of positive interactions with animals on prosocial behavior provides consistent, if not conclusive, support for the relationship between interacting with animals and socio-emotional development.

The Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Child Form

The aim of this study was to adapt the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Child Form (TEIQue-CF) into Turkish and to examine the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the form. The participants of the study consisted of 208 children between the ages of 8 and 12 who were recruited from a primary and a secondary school in Antalya, Turkey. In terms of validity, construct and criterion-related validity analyses were conducted. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed a construct of nine facets and two factors. In terms of the criterion-related validity, significant correlations ( p < .01) were found between the scores of the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA) and the Socioemotionality, Emotion Control, and total scores of TEIQue-CF. For the examination of the reliability, the internal consistency coefficients were computed. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the total questionnaire was found to be .91. According to the results, this study provides an instrument that can be used for assessing the trait emotional intelligence of children in a Turkish sample.

Life quality and empathy in children with celiac disease.

OBJECTIVE:This study aims to investigate the associations between celiac disease (CD) and children’s life quality and empathy level.METHODS:In this study, all participants aged 8–14 years completed the Turkish version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents. Parents were also applied to the structured survey.RESULTS:This study included a study group consisting of 45 children with celiac disease and a control group with 48 healthy children. The total scores of PedsQL were significantly lower for children with celiac disease when compared to the control group (p<0.05). When the sub-scores of PedsQL were evaluated, scores except the school functioning score (ScFS) were significantly lower in the study group (p<0.05). When IECA was analyzed, total empathy scale scores (TESS) were measured significantly higher in the study group (p<0.05).CONCLUSION:This study supports the argument that the quality of life decreases in children with CD. Future studies should aim to develop support models to improve the life quality of celiac patients. To our knowledge, this is the first study proving the increased empathy levels of children with CD. The determinants of the increased empathy levels should be focussed on future studies.

The Effect of Communication and Immigration Activities in 7th Grade Social Studies Course on the Empathy Skills of Students

The feeling of empathy is as old as the humankind. Empathy is an attempt to perceive the emotions and to understand the thoughts of other individuals and discern their point of view. Due to such aspects, empathy presents “a focus on other individuals”. In general terms, empathy was defined as “adopting a sensitive attitude towards correctly understanding the emotions and thoughts of another individual, encountering any event, through placing oneself in the place of that individual during the process of communication.”The present study was intended to determine the effects of the communication and immigration subjects in the 7th grade social studies course on the empathy skills of students through employing the didactic approach, which is one of the techniques for empathy development.Concurrent nested (embedded) design, a mixed research method, was employed in the present study. Mixed-method research is defined as the approach through which the researcher draws conclusions by using the advantage of integrating qualitative and quantitative methods, approaches and concepts in a study or consecutive studies with the aim to understand diverse research models. The quantitative data in the present study were obtained via the “Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents”, whereas the qualitative data were collected through interview forms.Almost all students emphasized the significance of empathy and understanding the feelings of the migrants for understanding the causes and consequences of immigration throughout the activities related to immigration.

A Humane Education After School Program Improves Empathy and Attitudes Towards Animals [Dominican University of California

Humane education programs aim to teach participants about the ethical treatment of both wild and domesticated animals and to foster respect for and appreciation of animals. These programs are increasingly popular and offered at many animal shelters in the United States and internationally. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of these programs in improving children’s treatment of pets (Tardif-Williams &amp; Bosacki, 2015). This study evaluated a semester long after school program offered at a humane society in Northern California. Two hundred and twenty nine participants (27 males) from 10 to 17 years old were enrolled in afterschool service clubs at the animal shelter over the course of 9 semesters from Spring 2014 through the Spring of 2018. The clubs met for 1.5 hours once a week, every other week for one semester. Two service clubs were offered each semester and each club had 12 students. The students engaged in hands on projects for the shelter, developed and hosted fund raising activities, participated in advocacy lessons, and depending of the age of the participant assisted in the care of some of the animals at the shelter. To assess the effects of participating in the afterschool club, on the first day of the club the students completed a 12 item scale developed by the researchers to measure humane attitudes towards animals and the Bryant Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (Bryant, 1982). The students completed the same measures at the last meeting of the club. Participants improved on both the measure of attitudes towards animals, which was the focus of the programs, and the measure of empathy. The improvement in empathy towards other people is particularly striking as that was not a focus of the program, and suggests that humane education can play an important role in increasing pro-social attitudes.

Validity and reliability of the Turkish Version of the Cognitive, Affective, and Somatic Empathy Scales for Children

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability properties of the Cognitive, Affective, and Somatic Empathy Scales (CASES) for Children to help evaluate children’s empathy skills. Methods: The samples of this study comprised 341 students aged 11-12 years old in the 5th and 6th grades of secondary schools in Ankara. Apart from CASES, An Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents and KA-SI Empathic Tendency Scale for Child and Adolescent were used for criterion related validity. The psychometric properties of scale were investigated by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), criterion related validity, split-half reliability and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Results: In the reliability study, the Cronbach’s alpha for the total scale was 0.84. In addition, the correlation between the two forms obtained because of the split-half reliability method was calculated to be 0.74. As a result of the item analysis, it was observed that all of the item total correlations were greater than 0.20 and as the comparison of upper 27% and lower %27 groups, the differences between the item mean scores were found to be significant. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that both the three-factor model and six-factor model had a good fit. Finally, it has been found that CASES has significant positive correlations with the total scores of An Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents and KA-SI Empathic Tendency Scale for Child and Adolescent. Conclusion: In the light of the findings, the results of the validity and reliability testing of the Turkish version of the CASES were found to be similar to the findings of the original scale. These results show that the Turkish version may be used as a valid and reliable tool in determining empathy among children and adolescent.

Moral reasoning and decision-making in adolescents who sustain traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACTObjective: Emerging evidence suggests that moral processes are disrupted by traumatic brain injury (TBI). The objective of this study was to explore moral reasoning (MR) and decision-making in adolescents with TBI, and to examine potential associations with global manifestations of social competence.Design: This retrospective, cross-sectional research design compared MR and decision-making in adolescents with mild TBI (n = 20), moderate-severe TBI (n = 23) and typically developing controls (n = 93).Methods: Participants completed a visual task of socio-moral reasoning (SoMoral) and the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents. Their parents completed questionnaires documenting their child’s behavior (Child Behavior Checklist) and adaptive functioning (Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition).Main results: Adolescents with both mild and moderate-severe TBI displayed more immature MR than typically developing peers. Participants with TBI also provided fewer socially adapted decisions. Closer inspection revealed that this difference was apparent only in the mild TBI group. No significant group differences were observed for empathy, behavior or adaptive skills.Conclusions: Sustaining TBI appears to affect adolescents’ ability to provide mature moral justifications when faced with moral dilemmas representative of everyday social conflicts. These difficulties do not appear to be associated with behavior problems, reduced empathy, or adaptive functioning.

EMPATI TERHADAP SISWA BERKEBUTUHAN KHUSUS: DITINJAU DARI JENJANG PENDIDIKAN INKLUSI DAN JENIS KELAMIN

Empathy is a part of important things to support students with special needs for their interpersonal development. Moreover, it is also a prominent factor of student’s mental health in inclusive school. This research aimed to investigate student’s empathy based on their educational level. The methods of this research was quantitative.,the instruments used were Empathy Scale from Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents. Anova and t-test were used to analyze data. The results showed that there were differences empathy based on educational level (F = 435.541 p &lt; .001). Empathy on Junior High School was higher than of other educational levels. Empathy on Junior High School (M = 38.5; SD = 6.135 ), University (M = 29.27; SD = 3.927), Senior High School (M = 20.89; SD = 3.406), Elementary School (M = 14.40; SD = 6.509 ). The results showed that there were differences empathy based on sex (t = 3.940 p&lt; .001). The results showed that empathy on female students (M = 27.33 SD = 9.740) higher than male students (M = 23.75 SD = 9.581).

A cross-cultural study: Empathy and role-taking in Brazilian and American children

Previous studies have showed development in perspective-taking abilities and empathy along childhood, and suggested the existence of relationships between these variables and aspects of culture. The study presented here investigated the relationship between empathy and role-taking in a sample composed by American and Brazilian children 6-13- year-olds. The method involved the administration of the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescent – IECA (Bryant, 1982) and one Role-taking task. Results showed that American children scored higher in Role-taking than Brazilian participants. On the other hand, Brazilian children scored higher in empathy than American participants. Results are discussed considering previous cross-cultural studies on social and cognitive development.

Affect in Play Scale-Preschool Version: Validation on a Sample of School Age Italian Children

The Affect in Play Scale-Preschool version is a semi-structured measure of cognitive and affective pretend play processes using a 5 min standardized play task devised for preschool children. This study investigated an extension of the scale in a sample of 333 children, aged 6–10 years. Participants were assessed using another measure of play processes, the Affect in Play Scale, a divergent thinking task, the Alternate Uses Test, a measure of school coping, the School Coping measure, and a measure of empathy, the Index of Empathy for Children. External validity with these measures was investigated, using correlational analyses. Construct validity of the scale was assessed using a confirmatory factor analysis approach. A correlated two-factor structure with a cognitive and an affective factor demonstrated the best fit. Implications for the use of this extension to assess cognitive and affective processes in pretend play and developmental outcomes were discussed.

Gender Differences in Empathic Sadness towards Persons of the Same- versus Other-sex during Adolescence.

Although gender differences in affective empathy are well established, evidence of gender differences in the development of affective empathy is inconsistent. Consideration of same-sex versus other-sex affective empathy may assist in elucidating these inconsistencies. Gender differences were investigated in the experience of empathic sadness towards same- versus other-sex targets. The relationships were studied cross-sectionally (N = 730) and longitudinally (N = 318) with Dutch adolescents using the empathic sadness scale of the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA; Bryant 1982). In both studies, female adolescents reported more empathic sadness than did male adolescents. Female targets also received more affective empathy than did male targets, and, more importantly, gender differences were observed in same-sex versus other-sex affective empathy. Specifically, in both studies male adolescents reported less empathic sadness towards same-sex than towards other-sex targets. In contrast, female adolescents reported more empathic sadness towards same-sex than towards other-sex targets in the cross-sectional study, and equal levels of empathic sadness towards both types of targets in the longitudinal study. Findings highlight the importance of considering same-sex versus other-sex affective empathy. Gender differences in same-sex and other-sex affective empathy have implications for assisting adolescents in social conflict resolution and interventions for bullying and aggressive behaviour in adolescence using empathy training.

Bryant's Empathy Index: Structure and Measurement Invariance across Gender in a Sample of Primary School-Aged Children.

The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensional structure and measurement invariance of Bryant's Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA) (Bryant, 1982) across gender in a representative sample of primary school-aged children in Spain. The sample consisted of 2,050 children (50.80% girls), with a mean age of 9.80 years (SD = 1.24), recruited from 27 primary schools. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. The model that presented the best fit indices was Lasa, Holgado, Carrasco, and del Barrio's (2008) three-factor model: Understanding Feelings, Feelings of Sadness, and Tearful Reaction. The levels of internal consistency for the subscales ranged from .76 to .83. In addition, the results partially support the measurement invariance of the IECA across gender. When the latent means of the empathy dimensions were compared across gender, statistically significant differences were found. These results coincide with those found in the literature showing the multidimensionality of the IECA. Specifically, the findings support its three-factor structure and its invariance across gender, making it a very useful instrument for exploring the expression of empathy in primary school children.

El rol de las emociones positivas empáticas en el comportamiento social de adolescentes argentinos

The purpose of the present investigation was to analyze if the empathic po- sitive emotions, sympathy and gratitude influence teenager’s social behavior. The sample was composed of 255 participants of both sexes (109 women and 146 men), aged 14-18 (M =15.97, DE = 1.18), who attended different schools in Buenos Aires province. In order to get the information, it was used: a) the Index of Empathy for children and teenagers (Frias, Mestre, Perez and Samper, 1999); b) the gratitude scale corresponding to the Questionnaire of Positive Emotions for teenagers (Schmidt, 2005) and c) the Assertive Behavior scale (Michelson, Sugay, Wood and Kasdin, 1987). The results from MANO-VAs (Multivariate analysis of variance) show that both sympathy and gratitude influence signifi - cantly teenager’s social behavior. Participants with high sympathy and gratitude show more assertive behaviors and less aggressive strategies in their social re- lationships. It corroborates the hypothesis that empathic emotion can enhance the development and performance of socially skilled behavior. Nevertheless, is important to note that this relation may not be unidirectional, but those positive emotions can enhance assertive behavior and this, in turn, provide feedback for positive emotional experience as it is expressed by the model of rising spiral by Fredrickson (Fredrickson, 2002).

A preliminary investigation of moral reasoning and empathy after traumatic brain injury in adolescents

Primary objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained during childhood can affect a number of socio-cognitive skills; however, little attention has focused on the integrity of moral reasoning in the assessment of post-TBI social sequelae and the role of empathy and intelligence on moral maturity.Research design: In a quasi-experimental, cross-sectional research design, moral reasoning maturity and empathy in adolescents with mild-to-severe TBI (n = 25) were compared to typically-developing peers (n = 66).Methods and procedures: Participants were administered the So-Moral and So-Mature, tasks of socio-moral reasoning and maturity, the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents, the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence and a demographic questionnaire.Main outcomes and results: Participants with TBI had significantly lower levels of moral reasoning maturity. Further, adolescents with moderate-to-severe TBI had lower levels of empathy. Empathy correlated positively with moral reasoning abilities and, together with intellectual function, predicted a small, but significant proportion of moral reasoning outcome.Conclusions: Youth who sustained TBI during childhood have poorer moral reasoning abilities than their non-injured peers, potentially placing them at risk for poor social decision-making and socially maladaptive behaviour. This can have a significant impact on long-term social functioning.

Perceptions of Father Parenting Style, Empathy, and Self-Esteem Among Greek Preadolescents

This study examines the relationship between early adolescents’ perceptions of their father's parenting style and two outcomes, global self-esteem and empathy. One hundred ninety primary school pupils (mean age = 11.26 years, standard deviation = 0.73) completed the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents, and the Self-Perception Profile for Children. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, and regression analyses. Findings suggested a significant link between paternal parenting style as perceived by preadolescents and preadolescents’ empathy and global self-esteem. The participating pupils tended to perceive their fathers as predominantly supportive, whereas perceptions of self and empathy were quite high. Finally, preadolescents’ perception of their father's parenting style was a significant factor in predicting preadolescents’ global self-esteem and empathic behavior. The present findings support previous evidence attesting to a link between parenting, father–child communication, and aspects of child psychosocial development.

Are Women More Empathetic than Men? A Longitudinal Study in Adolescence

Since the 1970s there has been a growing interest in analysing sex differences in psychological variables. Empirical studies and meta-analyses have contributed evidence on the differences between male and female individuals. More recently, the gender similarities hypothesis has supported the similarity of men and women in most psychological variables. This study contributes information on women's greater empathic disposition in comparison with men by means of a longitudinal design in an adolescent population. 505 male and female adolescents aged between 13 and 16 years were evaluated at two different moments (grade 2 and grade 3, lower secondary education). They completed the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents by Bryant and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index by Davis. The results confirm a greater empathic response in females than in males of the same age, differences growing with age. The sizes of the effect estimated in the second evaluation (average age 14 years) are large for emotional empathy and medium for cognitive empathy.

Bryant's Empathy Index

Abstract. The present study examined the internal structure of Bryant's (1982) Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents, a 22-item questionnaire measure of dispositional affective empathy. Third graders (n = 817), fourth to sixth graders (n = 82), and eighth graders (n = 1,079) were studied. Factor analyses revealed that the empathy index is multidimensional, encompassing two subscales. The same two-factor solution emerged in all samples. The first factor, labeled empathic sadness, showed good reliability in the two larger samples. Sex differences were established in each sample, with girls reporting more empathic sadness than boys. The second factor, reflecting attitudes rather than feelings, showed weak reliability in all samples, and poor differentiation between the sexes in the two younger age samples. The findings seriously challenge the validity of the 22-item empathy index. Improvement of the scale as a measure of affective empathy is indicated.