Maternal empathy and emotional availability: the moderating role of child negative affectivity

The current study investigated the moderating effect of children's negative affectivity on the relationship between maternal trait empathy and emotional availability. Participants included 125 mother-child dyads examined at two time points (T1: MeanAge = 13.65 ± 2.62 months; T2: MeanAge = 18.25 ± 2.66 months). Maternal empathy was assessed using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (empathic concern, perspective-taking, and personal distress) at both times. The child's negative affectivity was measured at T1 via the Infant Behavior Questionnaire, and maternal emotional availability was observed at T2 using the Emotional Availability Scales. Results showed that maternal perspective-taking positively predicted later emotional availability only for children with high negative affectivity, whereas empathic concern positively predicted later emotional availability only for children with low negative affectivity. No significant links were found with personal distress. These findings highlight maternal empathy's context-dependent role in caregiving.