Does empathy lead to depression? A three-wave random intercept cross-lagged panel analysis in emerging adults

While empathy has been associated with depressive symptoms, few longitudinal studies have confirmed the causal relationship between empathy and depressive symptoms. The current study employed a three-wave and one-year longitudinal follow-up study to investigate the causality between empathy and depression symptoms, focusing primarily on emerging adults due to the prevalence of depressive symptoms in this age group. Random intercept cross-lagged panel analysis (N = 1028) results found that affective empathy at T1 and T2 positively predicted depressive symptoms at T2 and T3, and only depressive symptoms at T2 positively predicted affective empathy at T3. These results suggested that affective empathy is indeed a risk factor for depression; it supported both the vulnerability and scar models. Further research endeavors should concentrate on exploring the developmental aspects of affective empathy, facilitating individuals in effectively regulating emotional resonance and mitigating potential adverse effects arising from empathetic sharing of negative emotions with others.