The Relationship between Empathy and Attachment in Children and Adolescents: Three-Level Meta-Analyses

Abstract

Empathy is one of the leading social abilities to understand or feel the emotions of other people. Attachment is thought to be a critical influential factor of empathy, as revealed by attachment theory and experimental studies, while empathy is also believed to facilitate the quality of attachment. Although many studies are conducted concerning the two subjects, the direction and magnitude of their relationship still remain unclear. In order to clarify the discrepant results in the previous study and explore the moderators in the empathy–attachment association, three-level meta-analyses were conducted in the present work. Based on 212 effect sizes from 59 samples in 50 studies with a total of 24,572 participants, random effect model analyses showed that empathy was insignificantly correlated with anxious attachment, significantly negatively correlated with avoidant attachment, and significantly positively correlated with secure attachment. The meta-analytic results indicated that children and adolescents with high secure attachment tend to show more empathy than those with low secure attachment. The meta-regression model revealed significant effects of the empathy dimension, culture, empathy measurement tools, and publication state. Additionally, implications and future directions for the empathy–attachment relationship were also discussed.

Attachment Insecurity and Altruistic Behavior among Chinese Adolescents: Mediating Effect of Different Dimensions of Empathy

“…A meta-analytic study found that secure attachment was positively related to empathy ( r = 0.27) among children and adolescents, and culture is a significant moderator, with larger effect sizes being observed in samples from Asian countries ( N sample = 14, r = 0.33), compared to samples from Western countries ( N sample = 44, r = 0.24) [ 27 ]. Additionally, another meta-analytic study found the relation between attachment and empathy in Eastern culture was higher than that in Western culture [ 35 ]. Moreover, a meta-analytic study found that empathy was positively associated with prosocial behavior ( r = 0.38), and cultural background (Western, N sample = 38 vs. Chinese, N sample = 39) had no moderating effect [ 36 ].…”

An in‐depth analysis of the polyvagal theory in light of current findings in neuroscience and clinical research

“…Several studies have been conducted to understand the relationship between empathy and attachment. A recent meta‐analysis of nearly 25,000 children and adolescents has shown a positive correlation between safe attachment and a negative correlation with avoidant attachment (Xu et al., 2022). Children and caregivers begin to regulate their emotions reciprocally, and the caregivers intentionally support the children's emotions in a “holding environment” (Winnicott, 1965), providing a relational space where children can develop the ability to autonomously and gradually contain and regulate their emotions (Powell et al., 2016).…”

The Effects of Parental Nurturance, Harsh Discipline, and Inter-Parental Conflict on Empathy Development in Early Adolescence

“…Adolescents who experience empathic parenting in form of parental warmth and support are able to mirror these attitudes and behaviors and become more empathic themselves. Additionally, children’s perceptions of parental nurturance may indicate secure attachment, which has been linked with higher empathy (Xu et al, 2022). Securely attached children have fewer unsatisfied emotional needs, develop positive internal working models, and therefore have more capacity to take others’ perspectives and show empathic concern (Mark et al, 2002).…”