@article{ART003380892},
author={양재원 and Sujin Yang},
title={Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender},
journal={THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY},
issn={1229-0718},
year={2026},
volume={39},
number={3},
pages={95-116}
TY - JOUR
AU - 양재원
AU - Sujin Yang
TI - Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender
JO - THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
PY - 2026
VL - 39
IS - 3
PB - The Korean Society For Developmental Psychology
SP - 95
EP - 116
SN - 1229-0718
AB - The Actor–Partner Interdependence Model was used to examine associations between cognitive and emotional empathy toward one’s spouse as relationship-specific traits and midlife crisis in 126 couples aged 50–64 years. Cognitive empathy showed significant negative actor effects for both spouses, whereas only husbands’ cognitive empathy showed a negative partner effect on midlife crisis for wives. Husbands’ emotional empathy showed no significant effects, whereas wives’ emotional empathy showed significant negative actor and partner effects on midlife crisis for themselves and their husbands. Effect sizes did not differ significantly between spouses or paths. Overall, significant partner effects emerged only for husbands’ cognitive empathy and wives’ emotional empathy, showing different patterns according to empathy type and gender. These findings suggest the need to consider multidimensional empathy and gender differences in interventions for middle-aged couples.
Limitations and future directions are discussed.
KW - middle-aged married couples;gender;cognitive empathy;emotional empathy; mid-life crisis;Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM
DO -
UR -
ER -
양재원 and Sujin Yang. (2026). Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, 39(3), 95-116.
양재원 and Sujin Yang. 2026, "Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender", THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, vol.39, no.3 pp.95-116.
양재원, Sujin Yang "Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender" THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 39.3 pp.95-116 (2026) : 95.
양재원, Sujin Yang. Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender. 2026; 39(3), 95-116.
양재원 and Sujin Yang. "Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender" THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 39, no.3 (2026) : 95-116.
양재원; Sujin Yang. Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, 39(3), 95-116.
양재원; Sujin Yang. Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender. THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY. 2026; 39(3) 95-116.
양재원, Sujin Yang. Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender. 2026; 39(3), 95-116.
양재원 and Sujin Yang. "Spousal Empathy and Midlife Crisis Among Middle-Aged Couples: Actor and Partner Effects by Empathy Type and Gender" THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 39, no.3 (2026) : 95-116.
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