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Although empathy is increasingly recognized as a multidimensional construct (including affective, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions), few studies have examined its specific links with emotion regulation during the preschool period. Prior research on toddlers and schoolers has focused on global or affective/cognitive empathy, without considering behavioral empathy or lability/negativity. Moreover, no study has explored whether distinct profiles can be identified in preschoolers. This study aimed (1) to examine the associations between age, emotion regulation, lability/negativity, and empathy dimensions, and (2) to identify subgroups of children based on their strengths and weaknesses in these domains. Mothers of 354 children (M = 4.41 years, SD = 1.03; age range: 3–6 years; 56.8% of girls) completed the French versions of the Griffith Empathy Measure, the prosocial actions scale of the Empathy Questionnaire, and the Emotion Regulation Checklist. Path model analysis tested associations among the variables. Hierarchical clustering analyses identified subgroups based on emotion regulation, lability/negativity, and empathy scores. Emotion regulation was positively associated with all empathy dimensions, while lability/negativity was negatively related to cognitive empathy. Five distinct subgroups emerged: two subgroups exhibiting good emotion regulation and empathy (one with a more moderate profile), one combining good emotion regulation and affective/behavioral empathy with low cognitive empathy, and two subgroups with lower empathy, one of which was characterized by higher lability/negativity. These findings reveal systematic links between regulation and empathy dimensions and distinct profiles of emotion regulation and empathy. Early identification of these profiles may support the development of interventions.
Simon et al. (Thu,) studied this question.