Effects of the KiVa Anti-Bullying Program on Affective and Cognitive Empathy in Children and Adolescents

C.F. Garandeau, Lydia Laninga-Wijnen, Christina Salmivalli

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objective: As empathy is an important predictor of both bullying and defending behavior, many anti-bullying interventions aim to increase empathy among students. However, little is known on whether these interventions enhance both affective and cognitive empathy, and whether some students are more responsive than others to empathy-raising efforts. This study examined the effects of the Finnish anti-bullying program KiVa on changes in self-reported affective and cognitive empathy and tested whether these effects varied depending on students’ gender, initial levels of empathy, peer-reported bullying, and peer-perceived popularity, as well as school type (primary versus secondary school) and classroom bullying norms. Method: Multilevel structural equation modeling analyses were conducted on pretest and posttest (1 year later) data from a sample of 15,403 children and adolescents (Mage = 13.4; 51.5% girls) in 399 control and 462 intervention classrooms from 140 schools participating in the evaluation of KiVa in 2007–2009. Results: KiVa had a positive effect on affective empathy, but not cognitive empathy. The effects of the program on both types of empathy did not depend on students’ gender, initial levels of empathy, bullying, or popularity, nor on school type or classroom bullying norms. Conclusion: Findings suggest that KiVa can raise students’ affective empathy regardless of students’ gender, status, initial empathy, or levels of bullying, and regardless of school type or classroom bullying norms.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)515-529
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
Volume51
Issue number4
Early online date15 Jan 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by the INVEST Research Flagship Center (Academy of Finland Flagship Program, decision number: 320162).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

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