EMPATI DAN PERAN BYSTANDER DALAM CYBERBULLYING: FAMILY COMMUNICATION PATTERN SEBAGAI MEDIATOR

Sejak media sosial menjadi begitu berpengaruh dalam kehidupan sehari-hari remaja terutama selama kondisi tinggal di rumah dalam Pandemi Covid-19, kekhawatiran para peneliti tentang efek pengamat (cyberbystander) dalam cyberbullying tumbuh. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui peran mediator parent communication pattern dalam pengaruh empati terhadap peran sebagau cyberbystander di kalangan remaja pengguna media sosial. Sebanyak 447 remaja berusia 12-21 tahun terlibat dan menyelesaikan Cyberbullying Bystander Scale (CBS) oleh Sarmiento et al., (2019), The Basic Empathy Scale (BES) oleh Jolliffe & Farrington (2006), dan The Revised Family Communication Pattern (RFCP) oleh Koerner & Fitzpatrick (2002). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa parent communication pattern secara parsial memediasi pengaruh empati terhadap perilaku cyberbystander (B = 0,0241, LLCI = 0,0096, ULCI = 0,0403). Dapatan ini menekankan bahwa empati memiliki efek langsung yang kuat pada perilaku cyberbystander. Temuan ini juga menggarisbawahi pentingnya fungsi keluarga untuk memperkuat empati remaja agar menghindarkan mereka untuk menjadi cyberbystander.

Basic Empathy Scale: A Systematic Review and Reliability Generalization Meta-Analysis

The Basic Empathy Scale (BES) has been internationally used to measure empathy. A systematic review including 74 articles that implement the instrument since its development in 2006 was carried out. Moreover, an evidence validity analysis and a reliability generalization meta-analysis were performed to examine if the scale presented the appropriate values to justify its application. Results from the systematic review showed that the use of the BES is increasing, although the research areas in which it is being implemented are currently being broadened. The validity analyses indicated that both the type of factor analysis and reliability are reported in validation studies much more than the consequences of testing are. Regarding the meta-analysis results, the mean of Cronbach’s α for cognitive empathy was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.77–0.85), with high levels of heterogeneity (I2 = 98.81%). Regarding affective empathy, the mean of Cronbach’s α was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.76–0.84), with high levels of heterogeneity. It was concluded that BES is appropriate to be used in general population groups, although not recommended for clinical diagnosis; and there is a moderate to high heterogeneity in the mean of Cronbach’s α. The practical implications of the results in mean estimation and heterogeneity are discussed.

Reference values regarding measure of Basic Empathy Scale in forensic adolescents

Empathy has revealed a fundamental role in fostering prosocial and altruistic behavior. Conversely, empathic dysfunction has been associated with antisocial behavior (ASB). The Basic Empathy Scale (BES) has been the most used instrument to measure empathy in studies with children and adolescents in forensic settings. Thus, we conducted a systematic review in order to establish reference values for BES in children and adolescents with conduct disorder/antisocial behavior (CD/ASB) and typical controls. Studies related to the topic were obtained from multiple databases (e.g., EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science), through rigorous exclusion and inclusion criteria. Only papers with empirical and quantitative methodologies from scientific and academic publications were included. A total of 311 studies were identified through database searches and 15 articles were retained for this review. The findings reveal lower empathy scores in children and adolescents with CD/AB (pooled mean for the total scale = 52.32; mean for cognitive empathy = 30.86; pooled mean for affective empathy = 28.83) than controls (pooled mean for the total scale = 67.20; pooled mean for cognitive empathy = 34.04; pooled mean for affective empathy = 32.30). This review provides reference values that can be useful for the application of the BES and the interpretation of its results, both in clinical practice and in future research with children and adolescents.

Alexithymia and Empathy in a Non-Clinical Population: How do they Correlate?

Alexithymia and empathy are functional concepts surrounding human emotions.This study aimed to estimate the association between alexithymia and empathy within a neurotypical population. The study was a cross sectional survey conducted within a non-clinical population of medical students at a University in England using voluntary sampling to complete the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), Basic Empathy Scale (BES), General Health Questionnaire- 12. Alexithymia and empathy scores did not show a statistically significant correlation. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between total alexithymia and cognitive empathy scores (correlation co-efficient was -0.184, p value was 0.013). Men and women differed significantly on empathy scores with women showing significantly higher empathy. The relationship between the understanding of one’s own emotions and the interpretation of others’ emotions are different functions with a more complex interaction than a simple linear correlation. Future research should focus on further exploring the differences between cognitive and affective empathy.

The Basic Empathy Scale in Chinese College Students: Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of a Revised Form

This study aimed to revise the Chinese version of the Basic Empathy Scale for college students. The cluster random sampling method was used to select 805 college students from two universities to conduct confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, reliability analysis, and an independent samples t-test. The confirmatory factor analysis model illustrated that the two-factor model failed to fit the data, and the two-factor model with methodological effect was finally accepted. Therefore, the questionnaire exhibits a strong methodological effect among Chinese college students which requires further study. Emotional and cognitive empathy had a significant positive correlation with gratitude and Internet altruism behavior, which showed good convergent validity. The gender difference test revealed that the emotional empathy level of girls was significantly higher than that of boys. The revised Basic Empathy Scale showed acceptable reliability and validity.

The Role of Cognitive Empathy on Adolescents’ Phubbing During Pandemic Covid-19

During the Covid-19 pandemic, various activities, including the learning process, have shifted to digital platforms. This is a serious concern because teenagers interact more easily with smartphones than pay attention to other people during social interactions, which is called "phubbing". The purpose of this study was to examine the role of cognitive empathy in phubbing among adolescents who use social media. By using the volunteer sampling (opt-in) panel technique, a total of 398 respondents (aged 16-21) were taken part in this study. Respondents filled out two instruments, namely the Phubbing Scale (10 items), the Basic Empathy Scale (9 items). There is an effect of cognitive empathy on phubbing in adolescent social media users, with a contribution value of 38%. The results showed there was a gender difference, with girls reporting higher levels of phubbing and cognitive empathy than boys. This study is the first to provide empirical evidence on the role of cognitive empathy for phubbing on social media among adolescents. This highlights the importance of efforts to indulge our culture as our national identity to stop phubbing becoming the new norm in society, including the younger generation.

Relationship Between Medical Students’ Empathy and Occupation Expectation: Mediating Roles of Resilience and Subjective Well-Being

Background: The occupation expectation of medical students can predict the possibility of their future employment in the medical industry, and empathy is the special ability of medical students in their study and career, which affects the development of their occupation expectation.Objective: To explore the relationship between resilience and subjective well-being between medical students’ empathy and occupation expectation and their internal mechanisms.Design: Data were collected from October 2020 to March 2021 using a paper questionnaire survey.Subjective: 586 medical students at a key medical university in Yunnan Province were invited to complete the survey.Main Measures: The Basic Empathy Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire, and Occupation Expectation Scale.Key Results: The empathy is intended to affect the occupation expectation of medical students through four paths. The direct path effect value is 0.073 (95% CI: 0.007∼0.217), the indirect path 1 effect value is 0.078 (95% CI: 0.022∼0.134), indirect path 2 effect value is 0.010 (95% CI: 0.005∼0.022), indirect path 3 effect value is 0.022 (95% CI: 0.0604∼0.039), all the confidence intervals do not contain 0, and the mediated effect ratio is 60.109%.Conclusion: Empathy has an impact on occupation expectation of medical students through the sequential mediating effects of resilience and subjective well-being. Medical colleges should fully consider the role of protective factors when cultivating and enhancing the occupation expectation of clinical medical students. Strengthening the intervention of emotional factors (empathy), self-regulating ability (psychological toughness) and cognitive factors (subjective well-being) is an important way to effectively establish professional values, improve occupation expectation of medical students and reduce the turnover rate of medical students.

Empathy and Defender Role in Bullying at School: Student-Teacher Relationship as Mediator

Introduction. Although much research has shown strong relationship between empathy and defender role, less is known about how student-teacher relationship mediated those variables. Our main hyphotesis was to reveal whether the student-teacher relationship could be mediating the effect of affective and cognitive empathy on the defender role in bullying at school. Method. A total of 311 participants were selected from 2 secondary schools in south Jakarta. Students refer to grade 7-8 with ranged in age from 13 to 15 years (Mage = 13.64; SD = .713). There were four instruments used: The Basic Empathy Scale to measure affective and cognitive empathy, Behaviors During Aggressive Episodes and Student Bystander Behavior Scale to measure defender role, and Student Per- ception of Affective Relationship with Teacher Scale. Results. The results revealed both affective and cognitive empathy were found having a positive effect on defender role in bullying situation among junior high school stu- dents. However, cognitive empathy was found positively stronger on defender role rather than affective empathy. Furthermore, student-teacher relationship only partially mediated the effect both affective and cognitive empathy on defender role. Discussion and Conclusion. These findings emphasized the urgency of comprehensive program to create defender by enhancing empathy and positive student-teacher rela- tionship to inhibit bullying behavior at schools.

Treatment with Methylphenidate Improves Affective but Not Cognitive Empathy in Youths with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Background: Beside the core symptoms, patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently show relevant difficulty in developing relationships with peers. Although ADHD symptoms may account for social impairment, deficits in cognitive and/or affective empathy have also been involved. Our aim was to investigate the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) treatment on affective and cognitive empathy. Methods: Sixty-one drug-naïve youths with ADHD (age range 6 to 17 years, mean 10.3 ± 2.8 years, 51 males) naturalistically treated with MPH monotherapy were followed up for 6 months for ADHD symptoms and empathy, measured with the Basic Empathy Scale. Results: After being treated with MPH, the patients showed a significant improvement in affective and cognitive empathy scores. Linear regression models showed that changes in inattention symptoms predicted changes in affective but not in cognitive empathy, while changes in the hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms did not predict changes in affective or cognitive empathy. Conclusions: Our study provides a further contribution for a better understanding of the possible effects of the MPH on youth’s characteristics.

Empathy and Perceived Stress among College Students

In the present study, the researchers have attempted to assess the relationship between empathy and perceived stress among college students of Karnataka and West Bengal in India. The data was collected using the Basic Empathy Scale for Adults (BES-A) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) from a sample of 214 college students, in which 107 were boys and 107 were girls. The study found that there was no significant relationship between their cognitive empathy and perceived stress but a significant relationship between their affective empathy and perceived stress was found and the correlation was found to be positive. The study also found that there was a significant gender difference in empathy among college students and girls had a higher empathy than boys whereas in case of perceived stress, no significant gender difference was found although the girls showed higher perceived stress levels than boys but the difference in their perceived stress levels was minimal. The implications of nurturing empathy and reducing perceived stress among the college students are discussed.