Empathy and psychopathology in children and adolescents: the role of parental mental illness and emotion regulation

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Arleta A. Luczejko - , Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (Autor:in)
  • Klara Hagelweide - , Technische Universität (TU) Dortmund (Autor:in)
  • Rudolf Stark - , Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (Autor:in)
  • Sarah Weigelt - , Technische Universität (TU) Dortmund (Autor:in)
  • Hanna Christiansen - , Philipps-Universität Marburg (Autor:in)
  • Meinhard Kieser - , Universität Heidelberg (Autor:in)
  • Kathleen Otto - , Philipps-Universität Marburg (Autor:in)
  • Corinna Reck - , Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) (Autor:in)
  • Ricarda Steinmayr - , Technische Universität (TU) Dortmund (Autor:in)
  • Linda Wirthwein - , Technische Universität (TU) Dortmund (Autor:in)
  • Anna Lena Zietlow - , Professur für Klinische Kinder- und Jugendpsychologie (Autor:in)
  • Christina Schwenck - , Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (Autor:in)

Abstract

Objective: Although empathy is known to be a strength, recent studies suggest that empathy can be a risk factor for psychopathology under certain conditions in children. This study examines parental mental illness as such a condition. Further, it aims to investigate whether maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) mediates the relationship between empathy and psychopathological symptoms of children. Methods: Participants were 100 children of parents with a mental illness (55% female) and 87 children of parents without a mental illness (50% female) aged 6 - 16 years and their parents. Results: Greater cognitive empathy was related to more psychopathological symptoms in COPMI, but not in COPWMI. In addition, in COPMI maladaptive ER mediated this relationship. In contrast, greater affective empathy was associated with more psychopathological symptoms regardless of whether parents had a mental illness. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of implementing preventive programs for COPMI that specifically target the reduction of maladaptive ER.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer1366366
Seitenumfang13
FachzeitschriftFrontiers in psychiatry
Jahrgang15 (2024)
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 8 Apr. 2024
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-7278-5711/work/161888018

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • children of parents with mental illness, emotion regulation, empathy, parents with mental illness, transgenerational transmission of mental disorders

Bibliotheksschlagworte