Since the 1970s there has been a growing interest in analysing sex differences in psychological variables. Empirical studies and meta-analyses have contributed evidence on the differences between male and female individuals. More recently, the gender similarities hypothesis has supported the similarity of men and women in most psychological variables. This study contributes information on women's greater empathic disposition in comparison with men by means of a longitudinal design in an adolescent population. 505 male and female adolescents aged between 13 and 16 years were evaluated at two different moments (grade 2 and grade 3, lower secondary education). They completed the Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents by Bryant and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index by Davis. The results confirm a greater empathic response in females than in males of the same age, differences growing with age. The sizes of the effect estimated in the second evaluation (average age 14 years) are large for emotional empathy and medium for cognitive empathy.

Traditional masculinity includes norms that encourage many of the aggressive behaviors whereas traditional femininity emphasizes aggression very little. In addition, the lack of emotional regulation as well as a poor impulse control have been related to aggression and, in particular, with reactive and proactive aggression. The objective of this study is to examine the role of gender stereotypes (masculinity/femininity) in reactive and proactive aggression, through regulatory emotional self-efficacy and emotion regulation. A total of 390 adolescents participated in a longitudinal study in Valencia, Spain. Structural equations modeling (SEM) was employed to explore a two-wave longitudinal model. The results show that femininity relates to reactive aggression through regulatory emotional self-efficacy and emotion regulation. This way, both emotional self-efficacy and emotional regulation mediate the relation between femininity and reactive aggression. Furthermore, reactive and proactive aggression relate positively and directly to masculinity and negatively to femininity. Therefore, violence prevention programs with adolescents should incorporate information to break down gender stereotypes and promote strategies to manage emotions. Such efforts may be helpful to reduce aggressive behaviors and violence.

The feeling of emotional self-efficacy helps people understand how to handle positive and negative emotions. Emotion regulation is the process that helps people control their emotions so that they can adapt to the demands of the environment. This study has a twofold aim. First, it examines the relationships among emotion regulation, the personality traits of extraversion and emotional stability, and the feeling of emotional self-efficacy for positive and negative emotions in an adolescent population. Second, it examines the mediating role of personality traits (extraversion and emotional stability) in the relationship between emotion regulation and emotional self-efficacy for positive and negative emotions. The participants were 703 adolescents (49.9% male and 50.1% female) aged between 15 and 18 years (M = 15.86, SD = 0.30). Significant relationships were observed among emotion regulation, the personality traits of extraversion and emotional stability, and emotional self-efficacy for positive and negative emotions. The structural equation model confirmed the direct link between emotion regulation and emotional self-efficacy and mediation by the personality traits of extraversion and emotional stability. This study confirms that emotional self-efficacy is connected to the emotion regulation strategies that adolescents use. Effective emotion regulation encourages self-perception and emotional coping. The results are discussed in connection to previous research.

This study has the aim to analyze the different role of parental styles (affect and communication versus control), of functional developmental variables (empathy and adaptative coping styles) and dysfunctional variables (emotional instability and inefficient coping styles) in school victimization, or conversely with peer attachment. Participants were 418 Spanish adolescents, 224 girls and 194 boys, aged between 13 - 14 years old and attending year 7 and year 8 of secondary school. Structural equation modeling was carried out using the EQS program.Results shows that parenting styles of affect and communication versus negative control are both directly related to functional and dysfunctional developmental variables. Negative control is also directly related to the school victimization. Also, functional variables are directly related to the school victimization and peer attachment, while dysfunctional variables only are related to school victimization. Finally, results and their possible implications are discussed.

Este trabajo examina el papel de los factores sociodemográficos como determinantes de las creencias y actitudes sexistas y las percepciones distorsionadas sobre el amor romántico, y analiza la relación entre el sexismo hostil y el sexismo benevolente y las creencias en mitos del amor romántico, según el Índice de Desigualdad de Género (idg), en una muestra de 203 adolescentes latinoamericanos residentes en Valencia (España).

Studies of the Spanish adolescent population has concluded that victimization is related to lack of emotional regulation and impulse control. Therefore, if a victim is unable to recognize, understand and regulate their emotions, this can result in rejection by their peers. A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine regulatory emotional self-efficacy as a possible mediator in the association between peer and parents attachment and victimization. Adolescents (n = 563) completed Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy, Inventory of Parents and Peer Attachment and Kid at School questionnaires. Structural equation models (SEMs) were used to predict a latent variable of victimization with parents and peer attachment, emphasizing the mediating role of regulatory emotional self-efficacy, as comprised by a positive and a negative aspect. Results showed that peer attachment had an indirect negative effect, through perceived self-efficacy, in managing a positive effect in victimization, while father attachment had an indirect negative affect, through perceived self-efficacy, in managing a negative affect in victimization, and Mother attachment had no statistically significant indirect effect in victimization. This study suggests that the roles of parents and peers, and also between mothers and fathers, are different in relation to the perception of victimization of adolescents. Findings provide relevant information regarding implications for prevention and intervention in victimization.