Leiden University Student Repository

Herten, Ilze van (2023)

De samenhang tussen zelfbeeld, empathisch vermogen en externaliserend gedrag bij kinderen met een verhoogd risico op toekomstig crimineel gedrag

Master thesis | Education and Child Studies (MSc)

Abstract Background: Externalizing behaviour in childhood is related to future criminal behaviour. To prevent crime, it is important to investigate factors related to externalizing behaviour in childhood, in order to design interventions accordingly. One of those factors is self-worth. The relation between self-worth and externalizing behaviour has been widely studied, but it is unclear if low self-worth, high self-worth, or both predict externalizing behaviour in primary school children. Therefore, there might be a factor moderating this relationship. An important risk-factor in the development of anti-social and criminal behaviour is empathy. This study aimed to explore the relationship between self-worth and externalizing behaviour and a possible moderating effect of empathy on this relationship. Methods: Participants were 173 Dutch primary school children (130 boys, 43 girls) aged 6 to 12 years (M = 9.88, SD = 1.43). Teacher report questionnaires were used to assess...Show moreAbstract Background: Externalizing behaviour in childhood is related to future criminal behaviour. To prevent crime, it is important to investigate factors related to externalizing behaviour in childhood, in order to design interventions accordingly. One of those factors is self-worth. The relation between self-worth and externalizing behaviour has been widely studied, but it is unclear if low self-worth, high self-worth, or both predict externalizing behaviour in primary school children. Therefore, there might be a factor moderating this relationship. An important risk-factor in the development of anti-social and criminal behaviour is empathy. This study aimed to explore the relationship between self-worth and externalizing behaviour and a possible moderating effect of empathy on this relationship. Methods: Participants were 173 Dutch primary school children (130 boys, 43 girls) aged 6 to 12 years (M = 9.88, SD = 1.43). Teacher report questionnaires were used to assess externalizing behaviour and self-report questionnaires were used to determine levels of self-worth and empathy. Multivariate variance analysis was used to examine differences in externalizing behaviour between groups with low, average, and high self-worth. Then, curve estimation was used to explore whether self-worth and externalizing behaviour had a linear- of quadratic relationship. Lastly, multiple regression analysis was used to analyse the moderating effect of empathy on the relationship between self-worth and externalizing behaviour. Results: Results did not show significant differences in externalizing behaviour between the groups. However, a significant negative linear relationship between self-worth and externalizing behaviour was found, meaning children with lower self-worth showed more externalizing behaviour. Moreover, there was a significant moderating effect of empathy on this relationship, indicating that the negative association between self-worth and externalizing behaviour was stronger for children with lower levels of empathy. Discussion: These findings suggest that self-worth and empathy are important factors in predicting externalizing behaviour in primary school children. The findings have implications for the development of interventions aimed at reducing externalizing behaviour (thus crime) in children, particularly those with low self-worth and low empathy levels. However, the cross-sectional nature of the study, the small and generally male sample and the methods of measuring self-image and empathy limit the generalizability of the findings. Also, this small study does not cover the need of research on the relationship between self-worth and externalizing behaviour. Further longitudinal and multi-method studies are needed to confirm these results.Show less

Externaliserend gedrag

empathisch vermogen

zelfbeeld

Author

Herten, Ilze van

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Specialisation

Orthopedagogiek

Supervisors

Jonge, M.V. de

ECTS Credits

20

Language

nl