Effectiveness of an Empathy Training Program on Social Adjustment and Verbal Aggression in Third-Grade Female Students

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology & Education of Exceptional Children, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran.

3 PhD student in Educational Psychology, Department of Psychology and Counseling, Islamic Revolution University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background and Aim: Considering the critical importance of empathy in facilitating interpersonal relationships, promoting optimal social development, and preventing behavioral disorders during childhood, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an empathy training program on enhancing social adjustment and reducing verbal aggression in third-grade female students.
Research Methodology: This research employed a semi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test, including a control group. The study population consisted of third-grade female students in schools located in District 7 of Tehran during the 2023-2024 academic year. A total sample of 40 students (20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group) was selected using multi-stage cluster sampling and randomly assigned to two groups. The data collection tools included the Child and Adolescent Empathy Questionnaire (EmQue-CA, Origaud et al., 2010), the Social Adjustment Scale (SSAS, Sinha & Singh, 1993), and the Aggression Scale (Williams et al., 1996). The content and face validity of the tools were confirmed, and their reliability was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha (above 0.85). The empathy training program consisted of 11 sessions and was implemented with the experimental group. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) with SPSS version 26.
Findings: The results indicated that the empathy training had a significant positive effect. This intervention led to a significant increase in social adjustment (with an effect size of η² = 0.202) and a significant reduction in verbal aggression in the experimental group (with an effect size of η² = 0.104) compared to the control group.
Conclusion: The findings strongly suggest that empathy training can serve as an effective and structured psychological-social intervention for improving interpersonal relationships, enhancing perspective-taking abilities, reducing verbal aggression, and ultimately improving social adjustment skills in elementary school students. Given the substantial effectiveness of the training program, it is recommended that empathy training be incorporated widely into school curricula, and future research should investigate its long-term effects across various educational levels and genders.

Keywords

References

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Clinical Psychology Studies
Volume 16, Issue 61
December 2025
Pages 42-63

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