Sibling Warmth, Self-Worth, and Empathy among Chinese Adolescents

As one of the longest-lasting interpersonal connections within the family system, the sibling relationships are an essential foundation for children’s social development. Adolescents’ warm sibling relationships may be of great benefit to promote positive youth development. The present study aimed to explore the indirect mechanisms linking sibling warmth to empathy (i.e., cognitive and affective empathy) through self-worth among adolescents in Chinese context. Participants were N = 165 adolescents ( M = 12.93 years, SD = .29; 55.2% girls) from Shanghai, China. Measures of sibling warmth, self-worth and empathy were collected via self-reports at three time points over 1 year. Results based on a path analysis indicated that: (a) sibling warmth positively predicted self-worth; (b) self-worth positively predicted empathy; and (c) self-worth served as a mediator of the link between sibling warmth and empathy. These findings illustrate the importance of sibling warmth on empathy, which can be used in future interventions aiming at promoting positive youth development in Chinese contexts.