Sibling empathy among preschoolers in China: analyzing emotional responses and family influences
IntroductionEmpathy between siblings plays a pivotal role in early socio-emotional development, yet limited research has explored this construct within the context of Chinese preschool-aged children, particularly in light of China’s changing family structures. This study addresses this gap by examin...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| author | Xiaolu Ye Xiaolu Ye Nor Aniza Ahmad Nur Aimi Nasuha Binti Burhanuddin Ruohan Xie Ruohan Xie Meng Na |
| author_facet | Xiaolu Ye Xiaolu Ye Nor Aniza Ahmad Nur Aimi Nasuha Binti Burhanuddin Ruohan Xie Ruohan Xie Meng Na |
| author_sort | Xiaolu Ye |
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| description | IntroductionEmpathy between siblings plays a pivotal role in early socio-emotional development, yet limited research has explored this construct within the context of Chinese preschool-aged children, particularly in light of China’s changing family structures. This study addresses this gap by examining the characteristics of sibling empathy and its associations with general empathy and sibling relationship quality.MethodsA total of 222 children aged 3 to 6 years from two-child families in Zhejiang Province, China, participated in this study. Sibling empathy was assessed using the newly developed Measurement of Sibling Empathy in Chinese Preschool Children (MSCP). The study examined differences in sibling empathy across age, gender, birth order, and sibling gender combinations (i.e., two boys, two girls, and one boy and one girl). A mediation model was tested to evaluate the role of sibling empathy in linking general empathy to sibling relationship quality.ResultsAnalysis revealed that younger children exhibited significantly lower empathy for sadness, and second-born children showed higher empathy for fear. Two-girl sibling pairs demonstrated greater empathy for anger than mixed-gender pairs. No significant gender differences were observed. General empathy was positively associated with both sibling empathy and sibling relationship quality. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) indicated that sibling empathy significantly mediated the relationship between general empathy and sibling relationship quality.DiscussionThe findings contribute to developmental and cultural theories of empathy by highlighting emotion-specific variations in sibling empathy and their implications for sibling dynamics in Chinese families. While the cross-sectional design and reliance on mother-reported data pose limitations, this study offers foundational insights and points toward targeted interventions to foster empathy and improve sibling relationships in early childhood. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e65f4ff2e2d2439fb67ff474669bcd15 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-e65f4ff2e2d2439fb67ff474669bcd152025-08-20T02:30:32ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-06-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15465211546521Sibling empathy among preschoolers in China: analyzing emotional responses and family influencesXiaolu Ye0Xiaolu Ye1Nor Aniza Ahmad2Nur Aimi Nasuha Binti Burhanuddin3Ruohan Xie4Ruohan Xie5Meng Na6Department of Student Affairs, Zhejiang Industry & Trade Vocational College, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaDepartment of Foundations of Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Foundations of Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaDepartment of Foundations of Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, MalaysiaZhejiang Normal University, Hangzhou, ChinaSchool of Education, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, ChinaGraduate School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, MalaysiaIntroductionEmpathy between siblings plays a pivotal role in early socio-emotional development, yet limited research has explored this construct within the context of Chinese preschool-aged children, particularly in light of China’s changing family structures. This study addresses this gap by examining the characteristics of sibling empathy and its associations with general empathy and sibling relationship quality.MethodsA total of 222 children aged 3 to 6 years from two-child families in Zhejiang Province, China, participated in this study. Sibling empathy was assessed using the newly developed Measurement of Sibling Empathy in Chinese Preschool Children (MSCP). The study examined differences in sibling empathy across age, gender, birth order, and sibling gender combinations (i.e., two boys, two girls, and one boy and one girl). A mediation model was tested to evaluate the role of sibling empathy in linking general empathy to sibling relationship quality.ResultsAnalysis revealed that younger children exhibited significantly lower empathy for sadness, and second-born children showed higher empathy for fear. Two-girl sibling pairs demonstrated greater empathy for anger than mixed-gender pairs. No significant gender differences were observed. General empathy was positively associated with both sibling empathy and sibling relationship quality. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) indicated that sibling empathy significantly mediated the relationship between general empathy and sibling relationship quality.DiscussionThe findings contribute to developmental and cultural theories of empathy by highlighting emotion-specific variations in sibling empathy and their implications for sibling dynamics in Chinese families. While the cross-sectional design and reliance on mother-reported data pose limitations, this study offers foundational insights and points toward targeted interventions to foster empathy and improve sibling relationships in early childhood.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546521/fullsibling empathypreschool childrengeneral empathysibling relationshipsemotional developmentsocio-emotional development |
| spellingShingle | Xiaolu Ye Xiaolu Ye Nor Aniza Ahmad Nur Aimi Nasuha Binti Burhanuddin Ruohan Xie Ruohan Xie Meng Na Sibling empathy among preschoolers in China: analyzing emotional responses and family influences Frontiers in Psychology sibling empathy preschool children general empathy sibling relationships emotional development socio-emotional development |
| title | Sibling empathy among preschoolers in China: analyzing emotional responses and family influences |
| title_full | Sibling empathy among preschoolers in China: analyzing emotional responses and family influences |
| title_fullStr | Sibling empathy among preschoolers in China: analyzing emotional responses and family influences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sibling empathy among preschoolers in China: analyzing emotional responses and family influences |
| title_short | Sibling empathy among preschoolers in China: analyzing emotional responses and family influences |
| title_sort | sibling empathy among preschoolers in china analyzing emotional responses and family influences |
| topic | sibling empathy preschool children general empathy sibling relationships emotional development socio-emotional development |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546521/full |
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