"I Don't Care About What You Want!": The Relation Between Juvenile Delinquents' Responses to Social Problem Situations and Empathy in Secure Juvenile Institutions

E. J. E. Heynen*, G. H. P. van der Helm, I. B. Wissink, G. J. J. M. Stams, X. M. H. Moonen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The present study examined the relation between juvenile delinquents' responses to social problem situations and empathy in secure juvenile institutions. The sample consisted of 79 delinquent boys (62%) and 49 delinquent girls (38%), aged 12 to 19 years. Results showed problems with accepting authority to be negatively related to both affective and cognitive empathy. Inadequate coping with competition was negatively related to cognitive empathy, whereas problems with receiving or giving help were negatively related to affective empathy. The central role of authority problems suggests that group workers could influence adolescents' empathy development by helping them to learn to cope with social problem situations.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1412-1426
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Interpersonal Violence
Volume33
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 May 2018

Keywords

  • social problem situations
  • empathy
  • secure juvenile institutions
  • juvenile delinquents
  • PERSPECTIVE-TAKING
  • MORAL JUDGMENT
  • GROUP CLIMATE
  • METAANALYSIS
  • ADOLESCENTS
  • ATTACHMENT
  • BEHAVIOR
  • YOUTH
  • RECIDIVISM
  • VALIDATION

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