Abstract

GARCIA-SERPA, Fabíola Álvares; DEL PRETTE, Zilda Aparecida Pereira  and  DEL PRETTE, Almir. Empathic and non-empathic preschool boys: parents’ empathy and rearing procedures. Interam. j. psychol. [online]. 2006, vol.40, n.1, pp. 73-84. ISSN 0034-9690.

This study analyzed the influence of mothers and fathers’ empathy and their rearing procedures on preschool boys’ prosocial and empathic repertoire. The boys, four to five years old, composed two contrasting groups: 11 highly empathic (GME) and 11 lowly empathic (GPE). Parents’ empathy was assessed by questionnaire and their rearing procedures were evaluated in an interview and a structured “waiting room” situation, recorded in VHS, where it was created demands for educative behaviors. After a content and categorizing analysis, classes occurrence were tabulated and converted in scores which allowed statistic comparison between groups (Mann-Witney, p<0.05) and fathers versus mothers (Kruskal- Wallis, p<0.05). Results showed favorable differences for GME, with parents’ scores greater than mothers’ on requesting, empathy and support classes. Research and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Keywords : Empathy; Prosocial behaviors; Parent-child relationship; Rearing social skills; Preschool boys.

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