Year of Award

2007

Document Type

Professional Paper

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Other Degree Name/Area of Focus

Developmental Psychology, Lifespan Development

Department or School/College

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Kimberly Wallace

Commitee Members

Gyda Swaney, Tom Seekins, Linda Eagleheart-Thomas, Kathy Kuipers

Keywords

empathy, Native Americans, network stress, stress contagion

Abstract

Although potential benefits associated with social support are well documented, it is also the case that social networks expose an individual to the stressful life events of others. Studies have shown that the stressful life events of others are positively related to negative affect. It has been theorized by several researchers that relationships between, for example, stressful life events of others and negative affect are evidence of a stress contagion process that may occur through empathy. The current study addressed this idea by testing whether the positive relationship that exists between network stress and depressive symptoms varied dependent upon (ie. was moderated by) an individual’s level of empathy. A sample of 160 Native American individuals, ages fifty and older, who completed the “Coping in Later Life” survey was utilized. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that when network stress is measured by number of life events that occurred to others, empathy does moderate the relationship between network stress and depressive symptoms. This significant interaction occurs both when using a global level of empathy and when the Personal Distress dimension of the measure is removed. Personal Distress alone does not moderate the relationship between overall network stress and depressive symptoms. These data fill several gaps in the social network, stress, and empathy research literature. It also advances the understanding of the stress contagion process.

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© Copyright 2007 Heather Lynn Kirby