Affiliation:
1. Baker University, Overland Park, KS, USA
2. University of Kansas, Lawrence, USA
3. Northern State University, Aberdeen, SD, USA
Abstract
Using a pre- and post-test design, this study examined the changes in empathy skills, life satisfaction, and relationship quality among mainland Chinese adolescents (ages 13–15 years) and their mothers ( N = 108 dyads) following an empathy training intervention. Participants completed a 20-day empathy training, including two in-person group training sessions and daily journals on assigned topics. Participants’ mother-child relationship quality, mother-child conflict, life satisfaction, and empathy skills were measured three times, and selected participants were interviewed to explore their experience of the training. The research procedure followed protocols that were approved by an Institutional Review Board. ANOVAs were used to examine quantitative data and inductive analysis was used for qualitative data. The findings suggest that after the training, both adolescents and mothers reported significant benefits in mother-child relationship quality and life satisfaction. However, participants’ empathy skills (i.e., perspective taking and empathic concern skills) did not change. Possible mechanisms of the observed changes included the empathy skills (e.g., perspective taking skills) learned through the training and the reciprocal nature of positive changes within the mother-child dyad. The current study suggests that empathy training may benefit adolescents and their mothers, both within the relationship and in their general life satisfaction.
Subject
Sociology and Political Science,Developmental and Educational Psychology
Cited by
4 articles.
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