Infants’ empathic concern responses moderate the association between maternal and child depressive symptoms

Sep 30, 2026

Although empathic concern generally supports adaptive social-emotional functioning, overly high empathic concern may increase emotional difficulties under stress. This study tests whether, in the context of maternal depressive symptoms, infants’ empathic concern functions as a “risky strength” by moderating links between maternal depression and toddlers’ depressive/anxiety behaviors. Data from 139 children assessed at 3 months (T1) and 24 months (T2) show that MDS at T1 predicts higher child symptoms at T2 only for children with elevated empathic concern in infancy, aligning with risky strength and informing risk-resilience models.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Empathic concern as a potential risk and “risky strength”

Depressive/anxiety behaviors in early childhood

Intergenerational transmission of maternal depression

[www. nature.com/scientificreports](www. nature.com/scientificreports) OPEN Infants’ empathic concern responses moderate the association between maternal and child depressive symptoms Avigail Gordon-Hacker3, Michal Levy3, Alisa Egotubov3, Eyal Sheiner1,2, Florina Uzefovsky3 & Noa Gueron-Sela3􀀍 Although empathic concern abilities typically support adaptive social-emotional functioning, excessive empathic concern may confer risk for emotional difficulties and psychopathology. The current study aimed to examine whether in the context of exposure to maternal depression symptoms (MDS), infant’s empathic concern acts as a “risky strength”. Specifically, we examined whether children’s early empathic concern responses moderate the association between maternal depressive symptoms and toddlers’ depressive / anxiety behaviors. Data were collected at two time points: 3 months (T1) and 24-months (T2) of children’s age (N = 139; 49.6% male). At both timepoints, children’s empathic concern responses towards their mothers were observed and coded. Mothers also reported their own depressive symptoms and children’s depressive/anxiety behaviors. Results indicated that higher MDSat T1 predicted higher child depressive/anxiety symptoms at T2 . However, children’s empathic concern moderated this association. Specifically, MDS during infancy predicted higher depressive / anxiety behaviors in toddlerhood only for children who exhibited elevated empathic concern in infancy. These findings align with the risky strength hypothesis and contribute to the understanding of the complex interplay between children’s empathy and their rearing environments. Empathic concern is a fundamental interpersonal skill that facilitates the development of adaptive social, emotional, and moral competencies1–4. Nevertheless, elevated levels of empathy in children may not always be adaptive especially when children are exposed to emotionally taxing environments such as parental depression4–6. Research in middle childhood suggests that children who are highly emotionally attuned to their parents’ distress may become hypervigilant and prone to excessive guilt, which increases vulnerability to internalizing difficulties7. Yet, it remains unclear how this risk process unfolds during the earliest stages of life. This is a critical gap, as early childhood is a period when caregivers play a critical role is shaping infants’ emotional regulation and social understanding through sensitive and responsive interactions and modeling of emotional expressions during a time of heightened neurodevelopmental plasticity8. If maladaptive empathy-related processes begin to emerge at this early stage, they may lay the groundwork for persistent affective vulnerabilities. Moreover, understanding how early expressions of empathic concern function in the context of maternal depressive symptoms can help identify which children are most susceptible to emotional distress in toddlerhood—and, crucially, which may benefit from early intervention. Therefore, the current study examines whether empathic concern during infancy moderates the relationship between maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) and children’s depressive/anxious behaviors in toddlerhood. Addressing this gap can advance developmental models of risk and resilience and inform age-sensitive preventive strategies aimed at supporting child emotional well-being during a foundational period of social-emotional development. Depressive/anxiety behaviors in early childhood Over the past two decades, epidemiological studies have detected clinically significant depressive and anxiety disorders in early childhood, underscoring the importance of for timely identification and intervention9–11. 1Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel. 3Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. 􀀍 email: [gueron@bg

FAQs

What is the main research question of the study?

Whether infants’ empathic concern moderates the association between maternal depressive symptoms and toddlers’ depressive/anxiety behaviors.

How were empathic concern and symptoms measured in the study?

Children’s empathic concern responses toward their mothers were observed and coded at 3 months (T1) and 24 months (T2). Mothers reported their own depressive symptoms, and children’s depressive/anxiety behaviors were assessed at those time points.

What do the results show about empathic concern?

Maternal depressive symptoms at T1 predicted higher depressive/anxiety symptoms at T2, but only among children who showed elevated empathic concern in infancy, supporting the “risky strength” hypothesis.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Maya Linwood