Coping mediates the association between empathy and psychological distress among Japanese workers

Previous studies have demonstrated an association between low empathy and high psychological distress. However, few studies have explored the mediators of this association. The present study examined how coping mediates the effect of empathy on psychological distress. Participants were 1232 Japanese workers who completed a comprehensive coping scale comprising eight subscales. We conducted a cross-sectional mediation analysis. The findings showed that low empathy was associated with high psychological distress and that this association was mediated by the cognitive reappraisal of approach coping and by the abandonment and responsibility-shifting of avoidance coping. These results offer a useful model of how empathic capacity impacts perceived psychological distress by demonstrating the protective and enhancing role of specific coping.