Patterns of Intergenerational Empathy and Peer Victimization in Mothers and Their School-Age Children

We examined intergenerational relationships between mother-child experiences of bullying and empathetic abilities. Mothers completed a retrospective bullying questionnaire and empathy assessments for their child and themselves; their 7- to 13-year-olds completed a victimization/bullying scale. Children’s victimization and empathy was significantly related to maternal victimization and empathy, respectively.