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This study aimed to examine the complex relations between two known predictors of bystander decisions in bullying incidents—empathy and family contextual factors—and bystander help-seeking from two preferred choices (i.e., adults and peers). In particular, we examined the mediating role of cognitive and affective empathy on the relation between parental attachment and bystander help-seeking in 826 adolescents in the 6th and 9th grade (49.9% female) using four bullying/acts of aggression scenarios. Results indicated that affective, but not cognitive, empathy served as a partial mediator for the relationship in boys, suggesting that both empathy and the family context can play a role in bystander decisions to intervene. On the other hand, empathy did not serve as a mediator for girls, suggesting that girls do not need the added push of empathy in order to intervene in bullying situations. Results suggest emphasizing home-school collaboration for boys, in particular, in bullying prevention programs in order to maximize efforts of bystanders. Highlights: For boys, parental attachment was directly related to both peer and adult help-seeking. Indirectly, parental attachment was related to adult help-seeking through affective empathy. For girls, parental attachment was directly related to peer help-seeking, but not adult help-seeking. Parental attachment was also indirectly related to peer help-seeking through affective, but not cognitive empathy. Developing socio-emotional competencies and skills, particularly affective empathy, familial interventions may provide students, especially boys, with the ability to engage in prosocial responses during bullying situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study aimed to examine children's self-expressivity in family and its relation to social emotional competence. Specifically, we examined the mediating effects of empathy on the relations between child self-expressivity in family and prosocial behaviors. Methods: A sample of 982 (63% female) 7–9th grade students in Seoul, South Korea were given a survey, which measured self-expressivity in family, cognitive and affective empathy, and PSB towards strangers and acquaintances. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the hypothesized structural relationships among latent variables. Results: Results indicated that children's positive expressivity in family had significant indirect effects on PSB toward strangers via cognitive empathy for both males (β = 0.25, p < 0.05) and females (β = 0.17, p < 0.05), but only significant indirect effects on PSB toward acquaintances via cognitive empathy for females (β = 0.14, p < 0.05). Children's negative expressivity in family had significant indirect effects on PSB toward strangers via cognitive empathy for only males (β = 0.12, p < 0.05), and no significant indirect effects on PSB toward acquaintances via cognitive empathy for both gender groups. Affective empathy did not significantly mediate relations between self-expressivity and PSB. Overall, children who showed more positive expressivity and less negative expressivity in family tended to show more PSB. Conclusions: Our findings indicated the promotion of positive expressivity in the home would be associated with increased cognitive empathy, and in turn, with more PSB in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]