| Summary: | Aim:The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between empathy levels and internalizing-externalizing problems in children and adolescents admitted to child psychiatry outpatient clinics for various reasons, and how this relationship changed according to gender. In addition, it was aimed to investigate the relationship between empathy and the child’s functionality according to parental reporting.Materials and Methods:In the period of May-June 2018, 39 girls and 61 boys (n=100) aged 8-14 years (mean=11.1±2.23) who applied to Pamukkale University Medical Faculty Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department outpatient clinics and volunteered to participate in the study were included in the study. The participants’ parents filled the socio-demographic data form and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the children and adolescents filled an Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents.Results:The girls’ empathy level was statistically significantly higher than boys (p=0.039). There was no significant relationship between empathy skills and age and family income level (p>0.05). There was a negative correlation between empathy levels and emotional problems, conduct problems, peer problems, internalizing and externalizing problems and the SDQ total difficulty score; and a positive relationship between empathy levels and prosocial behaviors (p<0.05; correlation coefficients (r) were between -0.201 and -0.393; 0.370 for prosocial behaviors). When only girls were evaluated, all relationships that were found to be statistically significant disappeared (p>0.05), but stronger relationships were recorded when only boys were evaluated (p<0.05; correlation coefficients (r) were between -0.361 and -0.451; 0.403 for prosocial behaviors). Children and adolescents with better school success, homework habits, and peer relationships also had better empathy skills (p<0.05).Conclusion:Our study results showed an inverse association between children’s internalizing and externalizing problems and their empathy ability. In the clinical sample, especially boys’ empathy skills seem to be related to emotional and behavioral problems. Attempts to improve empathic attitudes can help reduce emotional and behavioral difficulties that children and adolescents will experience and improve their functionality.
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