AUTHOR=Qin Guihua , Xie Ruibo , Wang Die , Wu Wei , Wan Simin , Li Weijian 

TITLE=The relationship between empathy and school adjustment of left-behind children: The mediating role of coping styles

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883718

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.883718

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=To investigate the effects of left-behind children's empathy and coping styles on school adjustment. Using whole-group sampling, 605 left-behind children in the third grade of the elementary school department of an education group in Suzhou, Anhui Province were selected to complete the Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reaction Index Scale, the Coping Style Scale and the School Adjustment Behavior Scale for Primary and Secondary School Students. The results showed that (1) emotional empathy significantly and positively influenced children's social competence, and significantly and negatively influenced children's antisocial behavior; cognitive empathy positively influenced children's social competence; (2) The role of positive coping styles mediated the relationship between cognitive empathy and social competence, and that between cognitive empathy and antisocial behavior; negative coping styles mediated the relationship between cognitive empathy and antisocial behavior; and both positive and negative coping styles mediated the relationship between emotional empathy and social competence, and that between emotional empathy and antisocial behavior. The findings of the study are valuable for understanding the relationship between empathy and school adjustment and enhancing school adjustment of left-behind children.