Longitudinal Effects of Cognitive and Affective Empathy on Adolescent Substance Use

Abstract

Background: A deficit in either socio-cognitive or socio-affective components of empathy is associated with the severity of substance use by late adolescence. What remains unknown is how longitudinal changes in these components of empathy predict adolescent substance using behavior. Methods: This secondary data analysis used data that followed adolescents in outpatient treatment for substance use (n = 826) during treatment and at 6 months post-treatment. To examine cross-lagged effects of empathy on substance use over time, we used a latent basis growth curve model. Results: Increases in affective empathy predicted reduced substance use over time. However, cognitive empathy did not predict substance use after controlling for other covariates. Conclusions: Lower levels of affective empathy may indicate a developmental vulnerability for substance using behavior. Modifying affective empathy may be a viable treatment target for reducing adolescent substance use.

Keywords:

• Cognitive empathy
• affective empathy
• substance use
• adolescence
• growth curve mode

Acknowledgements

Authors would like to acknowledge Sarah Konrath PhD. for the help with initial conceptualization of this project.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in ICPSR at https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03404.v3.

Declaration of interest

All authors report there are no financial conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Drew E. Winters

Drew E. Winters conceptualized and designed research, conducted preliminary analysis, interpreted the analysis and wrote the article.

Wei Wu

Wei Wu conceptualized the statistical approach and conducted the statistical analysis.

Sadaaki Fukui

Sadaaki Fukui consulted on design of research, reviewed previous versions, and aided with revisions of the introduction and discussion sections of the article.