Empathy, Theory of Mind, and psychological outcomes in early parenthood: comparing mothers, fathers, and non-parents.

Aims/background: Parenthood may influence social cognitive processes such as Theory of Mind (ToM) and empathy, which are linked to parental psychological well-being. However, there is limited research on these relationship in the early postpartum period (6-12 months post-birth). This study explores differences in ToM and empathy in parents of young infants compared to non-parents and examines how these traits relate to parents' psychological well-being, attachment, and caregiving attitudes.

Design/methods: A sample of 209 parents (53 mothers, 56 fathers) of infants aged 6-12 months and 100 non-parents completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) for empathy and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) for ToM. Measures of parents' stress and psychological distress were also included.

Results: Parents demonstrated higher empathic concern compared to non-parent men, with no differences in ToM. Subgroup analyses revealed distinct patterns in how empathy and ToM related to attachment, caregiving attitudes, and well-being, with empathic concern linked to lower stress in mothers and personal distress associated with poorer well-being in fathers.

Conclusion: The findings underscore empathy's relevance to parental mental health and caregiving, suggesting avenues for targeted mental health interventions. Future research should employ experimental and longitudinal designs to expand on these findings.