Empathy and Prosociality of Twin Siblings of Children with Non-Typical Development

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Background: This study derives from the idea that there are positive effects of having a child with a disability, developmental delay, or disorder (non-typical development; non-TD) in the family. We examined whether typically developing (TD) siblings of non-TD children demonstrate higher levels of empathy and prosociality. TD twin siblings of non-TD children were compared to TD twin siblings of TD children, based on self-reported empathy, parental reported prosociality, and performance on a behavioral task designed to measure prosocial behavior.
Method: All families from the Longitudinal Israeli Study of Twins (LIST; 1657 families) were scanned to identify families with twin pairs participating in the age 11 wave, where one of the twins is a non-TD child according to parental report on diagnosis and treatment, and the other twin is typically developing (TD). Sixty-six families with TD children who grew up with a non-TD twin were identified. The target twins (TD children with non-TD twins) were compared to the rest of the sample (TD children with TD twins) on measurements of empathy and prosociality. Participating children were administered a self-report questionnaire assessment of cognitive, emotional, and motivational empathy, and a computerized task designed to assess prosocial behavior. The participating children's parents completed a questionnaire to assess their children's prosocial personality.
Results: in line with our hypothesis, the target twins scored significantly higher than TD twin siblings of TD children in a self-report measure of cognitive empathy (t(38)=2.76, p=0.01, d=0.43). Contrary to our hypothesis, other between-group differences in self-report, behavioral, and parent-report measures of empathy and prosociality were not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Results indicate that children who grow up with a twin who has a disability or is not typically developing, report to perceive themselves as better in recognizing and understanding other's feelings (i.e., cognitive empathy). Possible explanations for the specificity of the positive effect on the cognitive facet of empathy are discussed. The importance of investigating positive (and not only negative) effects of growing up with a non-TD sibling is emphasized.
Significance: The fact that little has been documented regarding the positive effects of growing up with a non-TD sibling may be a true reflection of these families' condition, but it may also reflect the greater interest of researchers in pathology. Therefore, the contribution of the current study starts with the choice of the research question, derived from the Affirmative Model of disability, which suggests a non-tragic view of disability (Swain & French, 2000). Most researchers who hold this perspective have utilized qualitative methods, while quantitative studies supporting this model are still hard to find. The indication for greater cognitive empathy in TD siblings of non-TD children supports the idea of the possible positive effects of growing up with a non-TD sibling. In the same vein, this suggests the possibility of benefits from being in a close relationship with a non-TD individual in other settings and contexts, and has implications for the study and the practice of attitudes towards people with disabilities and their families.

Authors

• Yonat Rum, University of Cambridge
  Presenting Author

• Shir Genzer, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  Non-Presenting Author

• Anat Perry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ariel Knafo-Noam, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  Non-Presenting Author