The purpose of this study is to analyze the dual mediating effect of adolescents'' self-acceptance and empathy ability in the relationship between parental empathy and quality of peer relations perceived by adolescents.
The final subjects of the study were 357 adolescent in middle school. 174 boys and 183 girls. Among them, 209 were in the first year of middle school and 148 were in the second year of middle school.
To measure parents'' empathy, the scale developed by Cho Yong-ju (2010) was modified and supplemented by Kim Myung-jin (2017). In order to measure the quality of adolescents'' peer relationships, the scale developed by Bae Sung-man et al. (2015) was revised in the study of Lee Da-won (2019). For measuring the self-acceptance of adolescents, Kim Hyung-sun (2005) developed and revised in 2003 by Chamberlain and Haaga (2001), and later modified by Kim Yoon-hee (2008) to suit adolescents was used. In order to measure empathy between children and adolescents, Hwang In-hee (2021) re-quoted the scale that Park Sung-hee (1996) adapted from Davis (1980)''s Interpersonal Reaction Index into the Korean version. For data analysis, the SPSS 23.0 program was used, and descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation analysis, PROCESS macro Model 6 and bootstrapping were performed.
The main results of this study are as follows. First, the parental empathy perceived by adolescents directly affected the quality of adolescents'' peer relationships. Second, parents'' empathy had an effect on the quality of adolescents'' peer relationships through adolescents'' self-acceptance. Third, all parental empathy influenced the quality of peer relationships in adolescence through adolescents'' empathy. Fourth, in the relationship between parental empathy and adolescents'' peer relationship quality, both the parallel and sequential double-mediated effects of adolescents'' self-acceptance and empathy were significant. The mother''s empathy has been proven to affect the quality of peer relationships through adolescents'' self-acceptance and the parallel double-mediated effect that affects the quality of peer relationships through adolescents'' self-acceptance and empathy in one direction. On the other hand, the father''s empathy ability has been proven to affect peer relationships through adolescents'' self-acceptance and youth''s empathy, but there was no sequential double-mediated effect on adolescents'' peer relationship quality through adolescents'' self-acceptance and empathy in one direction.