Top

Gepubliceerd in:

12-05-2022 | Original Paper

Relations Between Parental Attachment, Empathy, and Bystander Help-Seeking Preference Following Peer Aggression

Auteurs: Jerica L. Knox, Secil Gönültaş, Stephen M. Gibson, Kelly Lynn Mulvey

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies | Uitgave 9/2022

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the complex relations between two known predictors of bystander decisions in bullying incidents—empathy and family contextual factors—and bystander help-seeking from two preferred choices (i.e., adults and peers). In particular, we examined the mediating role of cognitive and affective empathy on the relation between parental attachment and bystander help-seeking in 826 adolescents in the 6th and 9th grade (49.9% female) using four bullying/acts of aggression scenarios. Results indicated that affective, but not cognitive, empathy served as a partial mediator for the relationship in boys, suggesting that both empathy and the family context can play a role in bystander decisions to intervene. On the other hand, empathy did not serve as a mediator for girls, suggesting that girls do not need the added push of empathy in order to intervene in bullying situations. Results suggest emphasizing home-school collaboration for boys, in particular, in bullying prevention programs in order to maximize efforts of bystanders.

vorige artikel Indirect Effects of Parent–Child Relationship Quality and Media on Emerging Adult Body Esteem

volgende artikel The Process Linking Child-Invested Contingent Self-Esteem and Conditional Regard: The Roles of Maternal Anger and its Regulation

Abbott, N., & Cameron, L. (2014). What makes a young assertive bystander? The effect of intergroup contact, empathy, cultural openness, and in-group bias on assertive bystander intervention intentions. Journal of Social Issues, 70, 167–182.CrossRef

Ainsworth, M. S. (1979). Infant–mother attachment. American Psychologist, 34(10), 932–937. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.932.CrossRefPubMed

Barboza, G. E., Schiamberg, L. B., Oehmke, J., Korzeniewski, S. J., Post, L. A., & Heraux, C. G. (2009). Individual characteristics and the multiple contexts of adolescent bullying: An ecological perspective. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 101–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9271-1.CrossRefPubMed

Barchia, K., & Bussey, K. (2011). Predictors of student defenders of peer aggression victims: Empathy and social cognitive factors. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 35(4), 289–297. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025410396746.CrossRef

Barlińska, J., Szuster, A., & Winiewski, M. (2018). Cyberbullying among adolescent bystanders: role of affective versus cognitive empathy in increasing prosocial cyberbystander behavior. Frontier Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00799.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: experiences by nature and design. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Burchinal, M., Roberts, J. E., Zeisel, S. A., Hennon, E. A. & Hooper, S. (2006). Social risk and protective child, parenting, and child care factors in early elementary school years. Parenting: Science and Practice, 79–113. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327922par0601_4.

Carlo, G., McGinley, M., Hayes, R. C., & Martinez, M. M. (2011). Empathy as a mediator of the relations between parent and peer attachment and prosocial and physically aggressive behaviors in Mexican American college students. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 29(3), 337–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407511431181.CrossRef

Cillessen, A. H. N., & Mayeux, L. (2007). Expectations and perceptions at school transitions: The role of peer status and aggression. Journal of School Psychology, 45(5), 567–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.05.004.CrossRef

Cummings-Robeau, T. L., Lopez, F. G., & Rice, K. G. (2009). Attachment-related predictors of college students’ problems with interpersonal sensitivity and aggression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28(3), 364–391. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2009.28.3.364.CrossRef

DeSmet, A., Bastiaensens, S., Van Cleemput, K., Poels, K., Vandebosch, H., Cardon, G., & De Bourdeaudhuij, I. (2016). Deciding whether to look after them, to like it, or leave it: A multidimensional analysis of predictors of positive and negative bystander behavior in cyberbullying among adolescents. Computers in Human Behavior, 57, 398–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.051.CrossRef

Diamond, L. M., Fagundes, C. P., & Butterworth, M. R. (2012). Attachment style, vagal tone, and empathy during mother–adolescent interactions. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22(1), 165–184. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2011.00762.x.CrossRef

DiBlasi, T., Shin, J. Y., & Dill, C. A. (2018). Bullying and discrimination experiences among Korean- American junior high school students. Romanian Journal of Applied Psychology, 20(2), 28–36. https://doi.org/10.24913/rjap.20.2.01.CrossRef

Eisenberg, N., Zhou, Q., & Koller, S. (2001). Brazilian adolescents’ prosocial moral judgement and behavior: Relations to sympathy, perspective taking, gender-role orientation, and demographic characteristics. Child Development, 72, 518–534. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00294.CrossRefPubMed

Espelage, D. L. (2014). Ecological theory: Preventing youth bullying, aggression, & victimization. Theory into Practice, 53, 257–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2014.947216.CrossRef

Espelage, D. L. (2015). Emerging issues in school bullying research & prevention science. In E. T. Emmer & E. Sabornie (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues (pp. 76–93). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.

Farmer, T. W., Hamm, J. V., Leung, M.-C., Lambert, K., & Gravelle, M. (2011). Early adolescent peer ecologies in rural communities: Bullying in schools that do and do not have a transition during the middle grades. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 1106–1117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9684-0.CrossRefPubMed

Farrington, D. P., Lösel, F., Ttofi, M. M., & Theodorakis, N. (2012). School bullying, depression and offending behavior later in life: An updated systematic review of longitudinal studies. Stockholm: Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.

Georgiou, S. N. (2008). Parental style and child bullying and victimization experiences at school. Social Psychology of Education, 11, 213–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-007-9048-5.CrossRef

Gönültaş, S., & Mulvey, K. L. (2019). Social-developmental perspective on intergroup attitudes towards immigrants and refugees in childhood and adolescence: A roadmap from theory to practice for an inclusive society. Human Development, 63(2), 90–111. https://doi.org/10.1159/000503173.CrossRef

Gönültaş, S., Mulvey, K. L., Irdam, G., Irvin, M. J., Carlson, R. G., & DiStefano, C. (2020). The role of social-emotional factors in bystanders’ judgments and responses to initial peer aggression and retaliation in adolescence. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426619870492.

Grassetti, S. N., Hubbard, J. A., Smith, M. A., Bookhout, M. K., Swift, L. E., & Gawrysiak, M. J. (2018). Caregivers’ advice and children’s bystander behaviors during bullying incidents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 47(Suppl 1), S329–S340. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2017.1295381.CrossRefPubMed

Hawker, D. S. J., & Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: A meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 441–455.CrossRef

Holt, M. K., Vivolo-Kantor, A. M., Polanin, J. R., Holland, K. M., Degue, S., Matjasko, J. L., Reid, G. (2015). Bullying and suicidal ideation and behaviors: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 135(2). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-1864.

Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118.CrossRef

Jenkins, L. N., & Nickerson, A. (2019). Bystander intervention in bullying: Role of social skills and gender. Journal of Early Adolescence, 39(2), 141–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431617735652.CrossRef

Lambe, L. J., Della Cioppa, V., Hong, I. K., & Craig, W. M. (2019). Standing up to bullying: A social ecological review of peer defending in offline and online contexts. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 45, 51–74.CrossRef

Lee, C.-T., Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Memmott-Elison, M. K. (2017). The role of parents and peers on adolescents’ prosocial behavior and substance use. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 34(7), 1053–1069. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407516665928.CrossRef

Lester, L., Pearce, N., Waters, S., Barnes, A., Beatty, S., & Cross, D. (2017). Family involvement in a whole-school bullying intervention: Mothers’ and fathers’ communication and influence with children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(10), 2716–2727. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0793-6.CrossRef

Levy, M., & Gumpel, T. (2018). The interplay between bystanders’ intervention styles: An examination of the “bullying circle” approach. Journal of School Violence, 17(3), 339–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2017.1368396.CrossRef

Li, X., Bian, C., Chen, Y., Huang, J., Ma, Y., Tang, L., Yan, Q., Ye, X., Tang, J., & Yu, Y. (2015). Indirect aggression and parental attachment in early adolescence: Examining the role of perspective taking and empathetic concern. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 499–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.008.CrossRef

Li, Y., Chen, P. Y., Chen, F.-L., & Wu, W.-C. (2015). Roles of fatalism and parental support in the relationship between bullying victimization and bystander behaviors. School Psychology International, 36(3), 253–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034315569566.CrossRef

Longmore, M. A., Manning, W. D., & Giordano, P. C. (2013). Parent-child relationships in adolescence. In M. A. Fine & F. D. Fincham (Eds.), Handbook of family theories: a content-based approach. (pp. 28–50). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

Menolascino, N., & Jenkins, L. N. (2018). Predicting bystander intervention among middle school students. School Psychology Quarterly, 33(2), 305–313. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000262.CrossRefPubMed

Merrin, G. J., Espelage, D. L., & Hong, J. S. (2018). Applying the social-ecological framework to understand the associations of bullying perpetration among high school students: A multilevel analysis. Psychology of Violence, 8, 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000084.CrossRef

Mesurado, B., & Richaud, M. C. (2017). The relationship between parental variables, empathy and prosocial-flow with prosocial behavior toward strangers, friends, and family. Journal of Happiness Studies: An Interdisciplinary Forum on Subjective Well-Being, 18, 843–860. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-016-9748-7.CrossRef

Mulvey, K. L., Gönültaş, S., Goff, E., Irdam, G., Carlson, R., DiStefano, C., & Irvin, M. J. (2019). School and family factors predicting adolescent cognition regarding bystander intervention in response to bullying and victim retaliation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(3), 581–596. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0941-3.CrossRefPubMed

Mulvey, K. L., & Killen, M. (2016). Keeping quiet just wouldn’t be right: Children’s and adolescents’ evaluations of challenges to peer relational and physical aggression. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0437-y.

Mulvey, K. L., Palmer, S. B., & Abrams, D. (2016). Race-based humor and peer group dynamics in adolescence: Bystander intervention and social exclusion. Child Development, 87, 1379–1391. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12600.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094–2100. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.16.2094.CrossRefPubMed

Nickerson, A. B., Aloe, A. M., & Werth, J. M. (2015). The relation of empathy and defending in bullying: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Review, 44, 372–390. https://doi.org/10.17105/spr-15-0035.1.CrossRef

Nickerson, A. B., Mele, D., & Princiotta, D. (2008). Attachment and empathy as predictors of roles as defenders or outsiders in bullying interactions. Journal of School Psychology, 46(6), 687–703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2008.06.002.CrossRefPubMed

Noguchi, R. P., & Ollendick, T. H. (2010). Is family expressiveness as reported by mothers and fathers related to children’s social anxiety symptoms? Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19, 278–286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-009-9295-5.CrossRef

Olweus, D. (1994). Bullying at school: Long-term outcomes for the victims and an effective school-based intervention program. In L. R. Huesmann (Ed.), Aggressive behavior: current perspectives (pp. 97–130). New York, NY: Plenum.CrossRef

Padilla-Walker, L. M. (2014). Parental socialization of prosocial behavior. In L. M. Padilla-Walker & G. Carlo (Eds.), Prosocial development: a multidimensional approach (pp. 131–155). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.CrossRef

Parker, J. G., & Asher, S. R. (1993). Friendship and friendship quality in middle childhood: Links with peer group acceptance and feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction. Developmental Psychology, 29, 611–621.CrossRef

Polanin, J. R., Espelage, D. L., & Pigott, T. D. (2012). A meta-analysis of school-based bulling prevention programs’ effects on bystander intervention behavior. School Psychology Review, 41(1), 47–65.CrossRef

Pouwelse, M., Bolman, C., Lodewijkx, H., & Spaa, M. (2011). Gender differences and social support: Mediators or moderators between peer victimization and depressive feelings? Psychology in the Schools, 48(8), 800–814. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20589.CrossRef

Pozzoli, T., & Gini, G. (2010). Active defending and passive bystanding behavior in bullying: The role of personal characteristics and perceived peer pressure. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38, 815–827. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9399-9.CrossRefPubMed

Pozzoli, T., Gini, G., & Thornberg, R. (2017). Getting angry matters: Going beyond perspective taking and empathic concern to understand bystanders’ behavior in bullying. Journal of Adolescence, 61, 87–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.09.011.CrossRefPubMed

Rigby, K., & Johnson, B. (2006). Expressed readiness of Australian schoolchildren to act as bystanders in support of children who are being bullied. Educational Psychology, 26(3), 425–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410500342047.CrossRef

Robers, S., Zhang, A., Morgan, R. E., & Musu-Gillette, L. (2015). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2014 (NCES 2015-072/ NCJ 248036). Washington, DC: Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

Roberts, W., & Strayer, J. (1996). Empathy, emotional expressiveness, and prosocial behavior. Child Development, 67, 449–470. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131826.CrossRef

Rock, P. F., & Baird, J. A. (2012). Tell the teacher or tell the bully off: Children’s strategy production for bystanders to bullying. Social Development, 21(2), 414–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2011.00627.x.CrossRef

Rochester Youth Development, S., Thornberry, T. P., Lizotte, A. J., Krohn, M. D., Farnworth, M., & Jang, S. J. (1991). Testing interactional theory: An examination of reciprocal causal relationships among family, school, and delinquency. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-), 82, 3–35. https://doi.org/10.2307/1143788.CrossRef

Rubin, K. H., Bukowski, W., & Parker, J. G. (1998). Peer interactions, relationships, and groups. In W. Damon & N. Eisenberg (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: vol. 3. social, emotional, and personality development. 5th ed. (pp. 779–862). New York, NY: Wiley.

Salmivalli, C., Voeten, M., & Poskiparta, E. (2011). Bystanders matter: Associations between reinforcing, defending, and the frequency of bullying behavior in classrooms. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 40(5), 668–676. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2011.597090.CrossRef

Shamay-Tsoory, S. C., Aharon-Peretz, J., & Perry, D. (2009). Two systems for empathy: A double dissociation between emotional and cognitive empathy in inferior frontal gyrus versus ventromedial prefrontal lesions. Brain, 132, 617–627. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awn279.CrossRefPubMed

Stern, J. A., Borelli, J. L., & Smiley, P. A. (2015). Assessing parental empathy: A role for empathy in child attachment. Attachment & Human Development, 17(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2014.969749.CrossRef

Teymoori, A., & Shahrazad, W. (2012). Relationship between mother, father, and peer attachment and empathy with moral authority. Ethics & Behavior, 22(1), 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2012.638820.CrossRef

Thornberg, R., & Jungert, T. (2013). Bystander behavior in bullying situations: Basic moral sensitivity, moral disengagement and defender self-efficacy. Journal of Adolescence, 36(3), 475–483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.02.003.CrossRefPubMed

Trentini, C., Tambelli, R., Maiorani, S., & Lauriola, M. (2021). Gender differences in empathy during adolescence: does emotional self-awareness matter?. Psychological Reports, 33294120976631. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120976631.

Ttofi, M. M., & Farrington, D. P. (2011). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7, 27–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-010-9109-1.CrossRef

Turiel, E. (2008). Thought about actions in social domains: Morality, social conventions, and social interactions. Cognitive Development, 23, 136–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2007.04.001.CrossRef

Volk, A., Craig, W., Boyce, W., & King, M. (2006). Adolescent risk correlates of bullying and different types of victimization. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 18(4), 575–586.CrossRef

Vossen, H. G. M., Piotrowski, J. T., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2017). The longitudinal relationship between media violence and empathy: Was it sympathy all along? Media Psychology, 20(2), 175–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2015.1121825.CrossRef

Walters, G. D., & Espelage, D. L. (2019). Cognitive/affective empathy, pro-bullying beliefs, and willingness to intervene on behalf of a bullied peer. Youth & Society, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X19858565.

Wentzel, K., Baker, S., & Russell, S. (2009). Peer relationships and positive adjustment at school. In W. Damon & N. Eisenberg (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: vol. 3. social, emotional, and personality development. 5th ed. (pp. 229–243). New York, NY: Wiley.

Ybarra, M. L., Espelage, D. L., Valido, A., Hong, J. S., & Prescott, T. L. (2019). Perceptions of middle school youth about school bullying. Journal of Adolescence, 75, 175–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.10.008.CrossRefPubMed

You, S., Lee, J., Lee, Y., & Kim, A. Y. (2015). Bullying among korean adolescents: The role of empathy and attachment. Psychology in the Schools, 52(6), 594–606. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21842.CrossRef

Zhou, Q., Eisenberg, N., Losoya, S. H., Fabes, R. A., Reiser, M., Guthrie, I. K., & Shepard, S. A. (2002). The relations of parental warmth and positive expressiveness to children’s empathy- related responding and social functioning: A longitudinal study. Child Development, 733, 893–915.CrossRef

Titel: Relations Between Parental Attachment, Empathy, and Bystander Help-Seeking Preference Following Peer Aggression
Auteurs: Jerica L. Knox
Secil Gönültaş
Stephen M. Gibson
Kelly Lynn Mulvey
Publicatiedatum: 12-05-2022
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies / Uitgave 9/2022
Print ISSN: 1062-1024
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2843
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02312-2

Andere artikelen Uitgave 9/2022

Parental Psychological Control, Attachment Insecurity and Body Shame: How Relational Factors Impact Disordered Eating

Original Paper

Memories of Parental Rejection in Childhood and Current Psychological Maladjustment Predict Substance Abuse in a Collectivist Religious Country

Original Paper

Unequal Division of Child Care between Korean Spouses and Children’s Self-Regulation: The Mediating Roles of Parental Mental Health, Marital Conflict, and Parental Warmth

Original Paper

The Process Linking Child-Invested Contingent Self-Esteem and Conditional Regard: The Roles of Maternal Anger and its Regulation

Open Access
Original Paper

Chronic Illness and Child Behavior Problems in Low-SES Families: The Mediation of Caregivers’ Mental Health

Original Paper

Barriers to Seeking Psychotherapy for Mental Health Problems in Adolescents: a mixed method study

Open Access
Original Paper

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Welkom bij THIM Hogeschool voor Fysiotherapie & Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Registreer

Login

Relations Between Parental Attachment, Empathy, and Bystander Help-Seeking Preference Following Peer Aggression

Abstract

Andere artikelen Uitgave 9/2022

Parental Psychological Control, Attachment Insecurity and Body Shame: How Relational Factors Impact Disordered Eating

Memories of Parental Rejection in Childhood and Current Psychological Maladjustment Predict Substance Abuse in a Collectivist Religious Country

Unequal Division of Child Care between Korean Spouses and Children’s Self-Regulation: The Mediating Roles of Parental Mental Health, Marital Conflict, and Parental Warmth

The Process Linking Child-Invested Contingent Self-Esteem and Conditional Regard: The Roles of Maternal Anger and its Regulation

Chronic Illness and Child Behavior Problems in Low-SES Families: The Mediation of Caregivers’ Mental Health

Barriers to Seeking Psychotherapy for Mental Health Problems in Adolescents: a mixed method study

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Welkom bij THIM Hogeschool voor Fysiotherapie & Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Registreer

Login

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Parental Psychological Control, Attachment Insecurity and Body Shame: How Relational Factors Impact Disordered Eating

Memories of Parental Rejection in Childhood and Current Psychological Maladjustment Predict Substance Abuse in a Collectivist Religious Country

Unequal Division of Child Care between Korean Spouses and Children’s Self-Regulation: The Mediating Roles of Parental Mental Health, Marital Conflict, and Parental Warmth

The Process Linking Child-Invested Contingent Self-Esteem and Conditional Regard: The Roles of Maternal Anger and its Regulation

Chronic Illness and Child Behavior Problems in Low-SES Families: The Mediation of Caregivers’ Mental Health

Barriers to Seeking Psychotherapy for Mental Health Problems in Adolescents: a mixed method study