Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1043-342X

Date of Award

8-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Erin Tully

Second Advisor

Lindsey Cohen

Third Advisor

Laura McKee

Fourth Advisor

Erin Tone

Abstract

Empathy is typically an adaptive trait associated with healthy social and emotional functioning in children. However, for children with difficulty controlling their emotions, too much empathy for others’ distress (i.e., negative empathy) may lead to an aversive, self-focused response. Children prone to this type of response may have higher levels of worry, defined as cognitive elaboration of possible negative outcomes. While worry is common among children, high levels of worry that are excessive or difficult to control can lead to maladaptive outcomes. Empathizing strongly with others’ happiness (i.e., positive empathy) may be protective against worry because positive emotions build psychological resilience and dismantle negative emotions. The current study (N = 117, 50% female, Mage=9.13 years) examined if higher levels of negative affective empathy, as measured through parent-report and ratings of facial expressions in response to sad emotional videos, were associated with lower levels of worry in children with stronger emotion control and higher levels of worry in children with weaker emotion control. It also examined if higher levels of positive affective empathy, as measured through parent-report and ratings of facial expressions while children watched happy emotional videos, were associated with lower levels of worry. Contrary to my hypotheses, emotion control did not moderate the association between negative affective empathy and worry. Further, neither positive nor negative affective empathy was significantly associated with worry, suggesting that affective empathy does not serve as a direct risk or protective factor for worry in middle childhood. One explanation may be that worry at this age is more self-focused than other-focused, and therefore self-conscious emotions (i.e., shame, pride) may be more relevant to worry than affective empathy. Lastly, there was a significant main effect of emotion control on worry, such that children with stronger emotion control had lower levels of worry, which could have clinical implications for interventions aimed at reducing worry.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/37431240

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