Children who report being more empathetic are more likely to show signs of poorer health in the face of more interparental conflict than less empathetic children, according to a new study led by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development. The study, led by Hannah Schreier, associate professor of biobehavioral health and co-funded faculty member in the Social Science Research Institute, was recently published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. For children this age, 7 to 9 years old, the family home and parents are important, so observing conflict between the parents can be stressful.
And we now know that children may react negatively to perceived conflict from a physiological point of view." Hannah Schreier, Associate Professor, Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University The researchers used survey- and blood sample-derived data from home visits with 106 children between 7 and 9 years old and their parents participating in Family Foundations, an initiative led by co-author Mark Feinberg, research professor in the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center (PRC), that evaluates the effectiveness of a perinatal coparenting intervention for first-time parents. Prior research from that on-going study shows that parents who took Family Foundations classes had more positive family relationships and experienced less conflict across the family, as well as between parents or children.
The surveys assessed both the children's perce.
