Empathy as a mediator of the relations between parent and peer attachment and prosocial and physically aggressive behaviors in Mexican American college students

Abstract

Attachment and social support theories are normative developmental approaches that postulate positive social behavioral outcomes for individuals who develop strong relationships to parents and peers; however, research on positive aspects of Latinos in the United States is scarce. One hundred and forty-five Mexican American college students ( M age = 23.05 years; 99 females) from state universities in the United States completed measures of parent and peer attachment, empathy, prosocial behaviors, and physical aggression. Structural equation models showed that both parent and peer attachments were associated with prosocial and physically aggressive behaviors. In general, empathy mediated the relations between peer attachment and both types of social behaviors but mostly for men and not women. Discussion focuses on the importance of attachment relationships and empathy in understanding prosocial and physically aggressive behaviors among Mexican American college students.