Children who report high levels of empathy are more likely to show signs of poorer health when their parents experience increased conflict than those who report low levels of empathy, according to a new study led by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University's College of Health and Human Development.
The study, led by Hannah Schreier, associate professor of biobehavioral health and co-sponsored faculty in the Social Science Institute, was recently published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
“For children at this age, between 7 and 9 years old, home and parents are very important. So it's stressful for them to see conflict between their parents. And we know that from a physiological standpoint, children can have negative reactions to perceived conflict.”
Hannah Schreier, Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University
The researchers used data from home visits and blood samples from 106 children ages 7 to 9 and their parents who were participating in Family Foundation, an initiative led by co-author Mark Feinberg, a research professor at the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center (PRC), to evaluate the effectiveness of a perinatal coparenting intervention for first-time parents. Preliminary findings from this ongoing study have shown that parents who took Family Foundation classes had better family relationships and less conflict across the family and between parents and children.
The survey assessed children's perceptions of parental conflict — both whether they felt threatened and whether they felt bad when their parents fought. Children also self-reported their empathy — whether they felt sorry when others were sad and whether they cared about other people's feelings. Parents rated their children's overall well-being on a scale from excellent to poor.
The researchers also analyzed the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in blood samples taken from the children. Elevated levels of CRP and IL-6 indicate higher levels of chronic inflammation in the body.
Inflammation is an important aspect of the body's immune response. Acute, or short-term, inflammation is an important response to a specific injury and helps the body heal. Chronic inflammation is not due to a specific cause or injury. This chronic background inflammation is not necessarily a cause for concern in the short term, but if it builds up over time, it can lead to long-term negative health effects. Previous studies have linked chronic inflammation to the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, among other things.
From these self-reports and biological measures, the researchers found that children who reported greater empathy had higher CRP levels, suggesting higher levels of chronic inflammation, and parents who perceived more interparental conflict reported poorer overall health.
The researchers found that children with higher levels of empathy did not report more conflict at home, and children reported that everyday conflicts were less likely to escalate into violence or domestic violence.
Schreier said these findings are especially important for young children, who have been largely underrepresented in previous studies of the physiological effects of empathy and conflict. For this age group, the findings have implications far beyond the home.
“These results raise interesting questions about children's home and school environments,” she said. “Empathy is important, especially at this stage of life, but it doesn't make sense to force empathy education on all children. Some children may need help understanding when it's okay to set boundaries and how to find the balance between being aware of other people's feelings and not getting caught up in every little thing that happens.”
Schreier said the results highlight the importance of addressing individual needs and could have implications for future education programs.
“A major message in our society is that empathy is a good thing, and that surrounding ourselves with highly empathetic people will benefit us,” Schreier said, “But empathy can have positive and negative effects. Less has been said about what it means for people to be highly empathetic, and what it's like to take on the emotions of others. Our study adds to a growing body of literature showing that high levels of empathy may have negative health consequences.”
Bio-Behavioral Health Professor Jennifer Graham Engelland, PRC Associate Research Professor Damon Jones and Bio-Behavioral Health graduate students Aishwarya Ganguly and Caitlin Givens also contributed to the study.
sauce:
Pennsylvania State University
Journal References:
Schreier, HMC, et al. (2024). Children's empathy moderates the association between interparental conflict and child health. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2024.02.022.
