Browsing by Author "Godinho, Shahna Oliveira"
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- Empathy and internalising problems in preadolescence: Exploring gender variationsPublication . Godinho, Shahna Oliveira; Fernandes, MaríliaEmpathy is a complex, multidimensional construct that plays a fundamental role in emotional and social development, comprising both cognitive and affective components. Cognitive empathy involves understanding another person’s emotional state, while affective empathy refers to the shared emotional experience in response to another’s feelings (Eisenberg et al., 2015; Shamay-Tsoory, 2011). Although typically associated with prosocial behaviour, elevated levels of affective empathy may also contribute to psychological vulnerability, particularly internalising problems such as anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints (Achenbach, 1966; Tone & Tully, 2014). Internalising problems are characterised by inward-focused emotional distress and self-directed symptoms, often difficult to detect through external observation. This study explored the associations between cognitive and affective empathy and internalising problems in a normative sample of pre-adolescents, with a focus on gender differences and informant perspectives. Using self-, teacher-, and parent-reported data, it examined how empathy dimensions relate to internalising difficulties and whether these relationships vary by gender or informant. Results showed that participants reported relatively high empathy, with girls scoring higher than boys, particularly in affective empathy. Affective empathy and self-reported internalising problems were significantly higher among children who reported being victims of bullying, and internalising problems were also higher among those receiving psychological support. Associations between empathy and internalising problems were only observed in self-reports, where affective empathy positively predicted internalising symptoms after controlling for gender. No significant effects were found in parent- or teacher-reports, and gender did not moderate the relationship. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of empathy’s role in developmental psychopathology and have implications for early identification and intervention strategies targeting emotional well-being in youth.