Naslov
Intergroup empathy as a mediator of gender differences in attitudes towards refugee children

Autori
Vrdoljak, Antonija ; Stanković, Nikolina ; Čorkalo Biruški, Dinka ; Jelić, Margareta ; Fasel, Rachel ; Butera, Fabrizio

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Savremeni trendovi u psihologiji 2021 Knjiga sažetaka / - , 2021, 196-197

Skup
Savremeni trendovi u psihologiji 2021 / Current Trends in Psychology 2021

Mjesto i datum
Online konferencija, 28.10.2021. - 30.10.2021

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
attitudes towards refuges ; gender difference ; intergroup empathy

Sažetak
Since 2016 a number of refugee children have been enrolled in schools in Croatia, and their social relations with domicile peers represent an important aspect of integration into a new society. Considering integration is a two-way process, including host-society and refugees alike, attitudes of domicile children towards refugees can either facilitate or impede this process. Existing research on children's prejudice often finds gender differences in intergroup attitudes and behaviors, with girls reporting less prejudice than boys. While the effect of gender is frequently reported, the underlying mechanisms are an understudied topic. One possible mediator of this effect is intergroup empathy, an intergroup emotion that is usually higher among girls and has already been identified as an important predictor of children’s attitudes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the role of intergroup empathy in the relationship between gender and domicile children’s attitude towards refugee children. We conducted a study in one elementary school in Croatia with no prior experience in refugee children integration. Our sample included 108 boys and 117 girls aged 8 to 15 (M = 10.60, SD = 2.263). Participants responded to questions about their overall opinion on refugee children, social distance scale, as well as age-appropriate version of The Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents. In line with prior research, boys and girls differed significantly in intergroup empathy and attitudes towards refugee children. Girls reported higher levels of empathy (t(223) = -4.73, p < 0.001), more positive overall attitude (t(222) = -3.27, p < 0.001) and less social distance toward refugees (t(164) = -4.65, p < 0.001). To further examine this gender difference, we conducted two mediation analyses, with intergroup empathy as a potential mediator in these models. Overall model using gender and intergroup empathy as predictors of attitude was statistically significant (R2 = 0.13, F(3, 218) = 11.31, p < 0.001). Empathy proved to be a partial mediator of the gender effects. This pattern of relations was replicated when social distance was used as a criterion variable as well. Taken together, the results indicate that gender differences in domicile children’s attitudes towards refugee children can at least partially be explained by differences in emotions, i.e. by girls showing more intergroup empathy than boys. The results will be discussed in terms of their implications for future work with domicile children and development of school intervention programs aimed at improvement of their attitudes towards refugee peers.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija

POVEZANOST RADA