Empathy, assertiveness, and gender: do they influence the quality of friendship?

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Published: 2025-11-03
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2025.n2.v1.2902
Keywords:
assertiveness, children, empathy, friendship

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Rubén García Cruz
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México)
Mauricio Consuelos Barrios
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México)
Jorge Alberto Guzmán Cortés
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México)
Claudia Juárez Cervantes
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México)

Abstract

Background: Childhood is a critical stage for development. The ability to understand and respond to the feelings of others, create meaningful interpersonal relationships, and express oneself respectfully in any environment are essential
skills that promote emotional and psychological well-being. Method: The objective of this study was to analyze
the influence of empathy, assertiveness, and gender on the quality of friendship in upper elementary school children. Fifty-one 4th-grade students from a public elementary school in the city of Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, participated in the study. The study had a non-experimental design and a correlational scope. Participants were assessed using the Children’s Assertive Behavior Scale (CABS), the Friendship Quality Scale, and the Brief
Empathy Test for Children. Results: Statistically significant correlations were found between friendship quality and
the empathy subscales, as well as between the total score obtained on the assertive behavior scale and the empathy subscales. Conclusions: Empathetic understanding is the main predictor of positive friendly relationships, while aggressiveness emerges as the most influential factor in the emergence of interpersonal conflict. 

Article Details

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2025): FACING A NEW AND DIFFERENT WORLD. THE ACTIVE AGE IN A POSITIVE LIGHT

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Articles
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Author Biographies

Rubén García Cruz, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México)

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México) 

Mauricio Consuelos Barrios, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México)

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México) 

Jorge Alberto Guzmán Cortés, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México)

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México) 

Claudia Juárez Cervantes, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México)

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH), Hidalgo (México) 

How to Cite

Empathy, assertiveness, and gender: do they influence the quality of friendship?. (2025). International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Revista INFAD De Psicología., 1(2), 31-42. https://doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2025.n2.v1.2902

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