Empathy's Role in Stress Between Aging Parents and Their Children
Author Information
Author(s): Da Jiang, Huang Zewen, Peng Xinyuan
Primary Institution: The Education University of Hong Kong
Hypothesis
Does empathy moderate the relationship between being under-benefitted and perceived stress among aging parents and their adult children?
Conclusion
Empathy can alleviate the stress associated with being under-benefitted in relationships between aging parents and their adult children.
Supporting Evidence
- The positive association between being under-benefitted and stress was significant only with lower daily empathy.
- Children reported more stress when parents felt under-benefitted, especially if the children had lower trait empathy.
- Parents with higher trait empathy experienced less stress when their children felt under-benefitted.
Takeaway
When parents and children feel like they are not getting enough from each other, it can make them stressed, but being kind and understanding can help reduce that stress.
Methodology
A 14-day diary study where 99 pairs of parents and children reported their feelings of being under-benefitted, perceived stress, and empathy.
Participant Demographics
Parents averaged 50 years old (79.8% female) and children averaged 22 years old (85.9% female).
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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