Bidirectional Associations between Affective Empathy and Proactive and Reactive Aggression

Abstract

Background: Preliminary evidence indicates that affective empathy is differentially associated with proactive and reactive functions of aggression, and anger dysregulation may impact these associations. However, more longitudinal research is needed to understand the bidirectional nature of these associations. Examining these potentially bidirectional associations in middle childhood may be particularly important, as this is when significant associations between empathy and aggression first start to become stable and more targeted interventions may be warranted. Objectives: The current study examined the bidirectional associations between affective empathy and proactive and reactive aggression, as well as the moderating influence of anger dysregulation in middle childhood. Methods: Data were collected from 294 elementary school children (3rd-5th graders) and their teachers. Children self-reported on affective empathy and anger dysregulation and teachers reported on children’s proactive and reactive aggression. Data were collected at two time points, approximately six months apart. Results and Conclusions: As predicted, time 1 empathy was inversely associated with time 2 proactive aggression; however, contrary to expectations, time 1 proactive aggression trended towards being positively associated with time 2 empathy. Counter to expectations, time 1 empathy was not significantly association with time 2 reactive aggression; however, as predicted, time 1 reactive aggression was inversely associated with time 2 empathy. Finally, the expectation that anger dysregulation would moderate the links between reactive aggression and affective empathy was not supported. Results indicate that empathy is differentially associated with the functions of aggression over time. Findings and implications are discussed.