Children’s sympathy following the (un)provoked harm of peers: Associations with proactive and reactive aggression

Encouraging children’s sympathy (i.e., concern for others) across an array of social contexts is important for strengthening their prosocial responses to conflict and reducing aggression. We examined Canadian children’s (6, 9, and 12 years; N = 186; 50% girls and 50% boys) situational sympathetic responding following harm to victims, and how sympathy across contexts was linked to their aggressive behaviors (beyond dispositional sympathy). Children’s situational sympathy (sadness supported by moral reasoning) was measured in response to (un)provoked harm to hypothetical peers in vignettes. Parents reported on children’s proactive and reactive aggression. We also measured children’s dispositional sympathy via child- and parent-reports. Results showed that children felt stronger situational sympathy for victims of unprovoked harm than provoked harm, and only sympathy following unprovoked harm showed age-related increases. Above and beyond dispositional sympathy, lower situational sympathy in response to provoked harm was associated with higher reactive aggression. These findings demonstrate that children’s sympathy is dampened by a victim’s prior negative behavior – an emotional blunting effect that may have implications for their own retaliatory behavior.