Adolescents' responses to the distress of others: the influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concern

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dc.contributor.advisorWild, Laurenen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorProfe, Wade Byronen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-24T11:39:13Z
dc.date.available2017-01-24T11:39:13Z
dc.date.issued2016en_ZA
dc.description.abstractDespite its importance for the successful maturation of adolescents, relatively little is known about the development of prosocial behaviour during this life period. Attachment theory, although largely absent from the literature in this area, provides an informative theoretical description of how prosocial behaviours in response to the distress of others may be socialized. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative influence of attachment security to mothers, fathers, closest grandparents, and friends on the response to others' distress among early adolescents, via the mediation of empathic concern. Cross-sectional, quantitative survey data from 520 adolescents (aged 11-14) from 9 schools in Cape Town were used in the analyses. Zero-order correlations confirmed the expected positive relationships between attachment security to all four figures and empathic concern, as well as self-reported prosocial behaviour, but not for teacher-reported prosocial behaviour. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that empathic concern completely mediated the relation between attachment security and both self- and teacher-reported prosocial behaviour. Furthermore, when controlling for attachment security to mothers, fathers, closest grandparents and friends simultaneously, peer attachment emerged as the only significant indirect influence on self-reported prosocial behaviour. For teacher-reported prosocial behaviour, however, the indirect effect of friend attachment failed to reach significance. The results of this study provide theoretical insight into the influence of secure attachments on prosocial behaviour, and highlight the importance of supportive same-age peer relationships in adolescence.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationProfe, W. B. (2016). <i>Adolescents' responses to the distress of others: the influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concern</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22999en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationProfe, Wade Byron. <i>"Adolescents' responses to the distress of others: the influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concern."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22999en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationProfe, W. 2016. Adolescents' responses to the distress of others: the influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concern. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Profe, Wade Byron AB - Despite its importance for the successful maturation of adolescents, relatively little is known about the development of prosocial behaviour during this life period. Attachment theory, although largely absent from the literature in this area, provides an informative theoretical description of how prosocial behaviours in response to the distress of others may be socialized. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative influence of attachment security to mothers, fathers, closest grandparents, and friends on the response to others' distress among early adolescents, via the mediation of empathic concern. Cross-sectional, quantitative survey data from 520 adolescents (aged 11-14) from 9 schools in Cape Town were used in the analyses. Zero-order correlations confirmed the expected positive relationships between attachment security to all four figures and empathic concern, as well as self-reported prosocial behaviour, but not for teacher-reported prosocial behaviour. Structural Equation Modelling revealed that empathic concern completely mediated the relation between attachment security and both self- and teacher-reported prosocial behaviour. Furthermore, when controlling for attachment security to mothers, fathers, closest grandparents and friends simultaneously, peer attachment emerged as the only significant indirect influence on self-reported prosocial behaviour. For teacher-reported prosocial behaviour, however, the indirect effect of friend attachment failed to reach significance. The results of this study provide theoretical insight into the influence of secure attachments on prosocial behaviour, and highlight the importance of supportive same-age peer relationships in adolescence. DA - 2016 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2016 T1 - Adolescents' responses to the distress of others: the influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concern TI - Adolescents' responses to the distress of others: the influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concern UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22999 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/22999
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationProfe WB. Adolescents' responses to the distress of others: the influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concern. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Psychology, 2016 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/22999en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Psychologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherPsychological Researchen_ZA
dc.titleAdolescents' responses to the distress of others: the influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concernen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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