Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Quadratic Associations Between Empathy And Depression And The Moderating Influence Of Dysregulation, Erin Tully, Alyssa M. Ames, Sarah E. Garcia, Meghan R. Donohue

Psychology Faculty Publications

Empathic tendencies have been associated with interpersonal and psychological benefits, but empathy at extreme levels or in combination with certain personal characteristics may contribute to risk for depression. This study tested the moderating role of cognitive emotion regulation in depression’s association with empathy using nonlinear models. Young adults (N=304; 77% female; M=19 years) completed measures of cognitive emotion regulation strategies, depression, and affective and cognitive empathy. Individuals with good regulation had low levels of depression overall and their depression symptoms were lowest when levels of affective empathy were average. Individuals with poor regulation had high levels of depression overall, particularly …