Prediction of empathy based on attachment to parents and peers and self-concept

The purpose of this study was to determine the mediating role of self-concept in the relation between attachment to parents and peers with prosocial behaviors.

The research method was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population of the study included all the first grade students of the seven to ninth grades of the schools in one and two regions of Hamedan to 21690, among them two-step random sampling 570 people among the schools in Shahed 1, Shahed 2, Forough School and Fatemeh Al-Zahra School, two schools from each district and from each school 4 classes were selected. The study tool was the inventory of parent and peer attachment by Armsden & Greenberg (IPPA), self-concept questionnaire (SCQ) by Sarswat 1984 and empathy index by Bryant (1982). After exclusion of 50 distortion questionnaires, data were analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis.

The results of this study showed that physical self-concept (P<0.01, β=0.176) at a significant level of 0.01 and social self-concept (P<0.05, β=0.130) and moral self-concept (P<0.05, β=0.122) at a significant level of 0.05 and positively predict empathy. The attachment to the mother (P<0.01, β=0.175) and attachment to peers (P<0.05, β=0.117) positively and at a significant level of 0.01 predict empathy.

It is suggested to reducing the antisocial behaviors in schools and increasing empathy behaviors on improving the self-concept of adolescents and restoring their attachment to parents and peers be focused.