Maternal cognitive and affective empathy related to preschoolers' emotional-behavioral problems: moderation of
Zichen Zhang1,2,3, Yujiao Deng4, Tingyu Rong1,2,3
1Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Background:
Low maternal cognitive empathy and higher affective empathy have been linked to increased emotional-behavioral problems (EBPs) in young children, but it remains unclear whether the associations are distinct according to maternal depression. This study aims to explore the moderating role of maternal depression in the association between maternal empathy and EBPs in preschoolers.
Methods:
Cross-sectional and representative data were from 19,965 Chinese preschoolers. Maternal cognitive and affective empathy and depression were evaluated with Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy and World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index, respectively. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess child EBPs.
Results:
Lower maternal cognitive empathy was associated with increased child EBPs (aOR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96-0.97) with moderation of maternal depression (p = 0.002), and was slightly stronger in mothers at low risk for depression (aOR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.95-0.97). Higher maternal affective empathy was associated with increased child EBPs (aOR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.02-1.04), without significant moderation (p = 0.79).
Conclusions:
Lower maternal cognitive empathy and higher affective empathy were associated with more EBPs in preschoolers. Maternal depression moderated only the cognitive empathy-EBPs association. Tailored strategies targeting maternal empathy according to various depression levels should be considered in clinical practices.
Impact:
We found lower maternal cognitive empathy and higher maternal affective empathy were associated with more emotional-behavioral problems (EBPs) in a large-scale and representative sample of preschoolers in Shanghai. We demonstrated the moderating role of maternal depression in the association between maternal cognitive empathy and EBPs in preschoolers, with the association being slightly stronger in mothers at low risk for depression than in mothers with depressive symptoms. The study highlights that, aside from maternal depression, promoting interventions on inappropriate maternal empathy may confer significant benefits on the psychological well-being of preschool children.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Empathy
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Depression: Overview


