Influence of intrafamily and child-to-parent violence on the mental health of adolescents in the Peruvian amazon: the mediating role of empathy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24016/2026.v12.539Keywords:
intrafamily violence, child-to-parent violence, empathy, mental health, adolescents, Peruvian AmazonAbstract
Background: Intrafamily violence is a major risk factor for adolescent mental health, particularly in socially vulnerable contexts. However, the socioemotional mechanisms linking family violence to psychological well-being remain insufficiently understood, especially in Amazonian populations.
Objective: This study examined the effects of intrafamily violence and child-to-parent violence on empathy and mental health among adolescents from the Peruvian Amazon, with a particular focus on the mediating role of empathy.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 364 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years from a public school in Tarapoto, Peru. Participants completed the Scale of Child-to-Parent Violence and Intrafamily Violence, the Revised Mental Health Inventory-5, and the Brief Basic Empathy Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships among family violence, empathy, and mental health.
Results: The proposed model showed an adequate fit to the data. Child-to-parent violence was negatively associated with mental health (β = −.11, p = .04). Intrafamily violence was positively associated with empathy (β = .18, p = .01) and negatively associated with mental health (β = −.28, p = .02). Empathy was also negatively associated with mental health (β = −.40, p = .01). Mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of intrafamily violence on mental health through empathy (β = −.071, p = .028, 95% CI [−.044, −.003]), whereas the indirect effect of child-to-parent violence was not significant. The model explained 30% of the variance in mental health.
Conclusion: Intrafamily and child-to-parent violence were associated with poorer mental health among adolescents from the Peruvian Amazon, although through partially distinct pathways. Empathy partially mediated the relationship between intrafamily violence and mental health, suggesting that in contexts of family adversity, heightened empathic sensitivity may operate less as a protective factor and more as a mechanism of emotional vulnerability. These findings underscore the need for school-based mental health interventions that address family violence, emotional regulation, and empathic distress in Amazonian adolescents.
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