ArticlePloS one2020
The impact of peer attachment on prosocial behavior, emotional difficulties and conduct problems in adolescence: The mediating role of empathy.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 91 citations in OpenAlex.
- Empathy as a Mediator of the Relation between Peer Influence and Prosocial Behavior in Adolescence: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2025Pooled it
- Developmental Dynamics of Negative Automatic Thoughts in Childhood and Gender Differences: A Longitudinal Investigation Based on Depressive Symptoms and Peer Attachment.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2026Article
- Exploring the relationship between problem-solving skills and prosocial behaviors in adolescents in Turkey.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Effects of Empathy and Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy on Difficulties and Strengths in Juvenile Offenders.International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology · 2026Article
- The Bidirectional Longitudinal Relationships between Self-Compassion, Peer Attachment, and Prosocial Behavior in Chinese Children.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2026Article
- Better Person, Better Society: A Different Perspective on the Association Between Instrumental Religiosity, Interpersonal Empathy and Social Justice Values.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Social support and adolescent normative behavior in the context of rule of law education: the mediating role of educational expectations among Chinese students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The Correlation of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms with Interpersonal Problems in Male Students: The Mediating Role of Empathy and Self-Compassion.International journal of school health · 2026Article
- Maternal, paternal, and peer attachment and adolescent behavior problems: a validation study of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA-45).BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Exploring the relationship between peer attachment, and disordered eating behaviours and body dissatisfaction in adolescence: a systematic review.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Review
- Associations between physical exercise and social-emotional competence in primary school children.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Network analysis of peer attachment and internet addiction among chinese adolescents.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring the Needs and Preferences of Users and Parents to Design a Mobile App to Deliver Mental Health Peer Support to Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: Qualitative Study.JMIR diabetes · 2025Article
- How do we identify potential perpetrators of indirect bullying and how do we help them? A review of the characteristics that are associated with perpetration and can be targeted through prevention and intervention.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Review
- Friendship trajectories and health across the lifespan.Developmental psychology · 2024Article
- Pet attachment and prosocial attitude toward humans: the mediating role of empathy to animals.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Sickle cell disease and adolescents' perspectives on self-care management resources.Health care transitions · 2023Article
- Conduct problems among middle adolescents in the community settings: A concept analysis.Belitung nursing journal · 2023Article
- The Impact of Parental and Peer Attachment on Gaming Addiction among Out-of-School Adolescents in South Korea: The Mediating Role of Social Stigma.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Longitudinal Analysis of Adolescent Adjustment: The Role of Attachment and Emotional Competence.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Attachment theories postulate that during adolescence, peer relationships become more important as a predictor of positive social, emotional and behavioral outcomes. Adolescents develop the ability to empathize with others, which is related to healthy functioning and positive peer relationships. Empathy has been studied as a potential mechanism that may help to explain how strong and healthy emotional bonds are associated with less emotional disorders and conduct problems in youth. The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between peer attachment and strengths and difficulties during adolescence, considering empathy as a potential mediator of this association. A total of 800 Spanish adolescents (56.65% girls), aged between 12 and 15 years (M = 14.02, SD = 1.21), completed measures of peer attachment, empathy, conduct problems, emotional difficulties and prosocial behavior. Structural equation models indicated that peer attachment was negatively associated with conduct problems and emotional difficulties but positively related to prosocial behavior. In general, empathy mediated the link between peer attachment and both emotional and behavioral outcomes, without significant group differences between boys and girls. The discussion focuses on the importance of healthy peer relationships as a powerful predictor of emotional well-being and psychological problems in adolescence.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.