The mediating role of sympathy in the relationship between media violence and Dutch adolescents’ social behaviors

Figures & data

Table 1. Mean, standard deviations and pearson’s correlations for model variables at three time waves

	M (SD)	1.	2.	3.	4.	5.	6.	7.	8.	9.	10.	11.	12.
1. Media violence T1^a	5.06 (8.01)	1
2. Direct aggression T1	1.64 (0.72)	.28**	1
3. Prosocial behavior T1	2.58 (0.39)	−.14**	−.28**	1
4. Affective empathy T1	2.29 (0.78)	−.12**	−.13**	.20**	1
5. Cognitive empathy T1	3.28 (0.77)	.01	−.01	.28**	.41**	1
6. Sympathy T1	3.23 (0.75)	−.10**	−.12**	.30**	.55**	.41**	1
7. Affective empathy T2	2.47 (0.77)	−.08*	−.03	.20**	.53**	.32**	.34**	1
8. Cognitive empathy T2	3.25 (0.80)	−.06	−.04	.32**	.35**	.58**	.35**	.47**	1
9. Sympathy T2	3.57 (0.75)	−.17**	−.14**	.33**	.39**	.31**	.55**	.48**	.53**	1
10. Direct aggression T3	1.60 (0.72)	.20**	.55**	−.19**	−.15**	−.07	−.15**	−.04	−.08*	−.18**	1
11. Prosocial Behavior T3	2.57 (0.41)	−.14**	−.25**	.36**	.18**	.15**	.21**	.12**	.25**	.28**	−.29**	1
12. Sex: Female^b	-	−.36**	−.40**	.21**	.37**	.11**	.26**	.25**	.19**	.27**	−.40**	.23**	1
13. Non-violent media T1	16.17 (14.10)	.01	.04	−.10**	−.07*	−.10**	−.07*	−.05	−.11**	−.06	.05	−.04	−.04

Note. * p <.05, ** p <.01. ^a Mean and SD are based on variable with recoded outliers. ^b Male = 1 and Female = 2.

Figure 1. Longitudinal mediation model with all mediators. Variables measured at the same timepoint were allowed to covary. Solid lines represent significant paths, whereas dashed lines represent non-significant paths. All paths are corrected for sex and non-violent media. * p <.05, ** p <.01

Table 2. Standardized estimates, P-values and 95% confidence intervals for the direct paths of the mediation models

Emotional response T2 (mediator)	Media Violence T1 → Emotional response T2			Emotional response T2 → Aggressive behavior T3			Emotional response T2 → Prosocial Behavior T3
Separate models	b*	p-value	95% CI	b*	p-value	95% CI	b*	p-value	95% CI
Affective empathy	.02	.641	[−.05-, .09]	.01	.842	[−.06, .08]	.02	.534	[−.06, .11]
Cognitive empathy	−.05	.179	[−.13, .02]	−.03	.358	[−.09, .03]	.14	.002	[.05, .23]
Sympathy	−.10	.023	[−.18, −.01]	−.08	.035	[−.16, −.006]	.19	.001	[.08, .30]
Simultaneous model
Affective empathy	.00	.923	[−.07, .07]	.09	.080	[−.01, .19]	−.15	.013	[−.27, −.03]
Cognitive empathy	−.04	.243	[−.12, .03]	.02	.669	[−.11, .12]	.06	.406	[−.08, .19]
Sympathy	−.11	.014	[−.19, −.02]	−.15	.016	[−.31, −.03]	.27	.005	[.02, .45]

Table 3. Standardized estimates, P-values and 95% confidence intervals for the indirect effects of the mediation models

Emotional response T2	Aggressive Behavior T3			Prosocial Behavior T3
Separate models	b*	p-value	95% CI	b*	p-value	95% CI
Affective empathy	.00	.857	[−.001, .001]	.00	.712	[−.002, .003]
Cognitive empathy	.002	.445	[−.002, .006]	−.007	.219	[−.02, .004]
Sympathy	.01	.125	[−.002, .02]	−.02	.066	[−.04, 001]
Total model
Affective empathy	.00	.942	[−.01, .01]	−.001	.924	[−.01, .01]
Cognitive empathy	−.001	.684	[−.01, .004]	−.002	.505	[−.01, .004]
Sympathy	.02	.090	[−.002, .034]	−.03	.059	[−.002, .03]