ERIC Number: EJ1321202
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Apr
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-930X
EISSN: N/A
Attachment and Externalizing/Internalizing Problems in Preschoolers: Contributions of Positive and Negative Empathic Perspective-Taking
Stefan, Catrinel A.; Avram, Julie
Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology, v67 n2 Article 1 p123-148 Apr 2021
The current study's aim was to assess the contribution of empathic perspective-taking to the relationship between attachment security and children's risk of maladjustment. A sample of 212 preschoolers aged 3-5 years old was included in this study. Children completed the Attachment Story Completion Task and a modified version of the Kids' Empathic Development Scale. Teachers and parents rated children's externalizing/internalizing problems by employing the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form, and the Child Behavior Checklist, respectively. Results supported the notion that the indirect path from attachment security to externalizing problems was negatively mediated by empathic perspective-taking related to negative (but not positive) emotions. Similarly, the same component of empathic perspective-taking negatively mediated the relationship between attachment security and internalizing problems. These findings indicate that empathic perspective-taking in relation to negative emotions might serve to promote preschoolers' reduced risk of mental health problems.
Descriptors: Empathy, Perspective Taking, Preschool Children, Attachment Behavior, Behavior Problems, Child Behavior, Emotional Response, Correlation, Foreign Countries
Wayne State University Press. The Leonard N. Simons Building, 4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309. Tel: 800-978-7323; Fax: 313-577-6131; Web site: http://wsupress.wayne.edu/journals/merrill/merrillj.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Romania
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Child Behavior Checklist
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A