The Role of Peer Attachment in the Relationship between Achievement Pressure, Autonomy, and Empathy

This study investigated whether the impact of achievement pressure on empathy, mediated through autonomy, could be influenced by varying levels of peer attachment levels. This hypothesized model was tested using responses from 1,328 first-year middle school students (48.9% female) collected in the 14th wave of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC). Analysis was conducted using SPSS 21.0 and PROCESS Macro 3.4. The results indicated that achievement pressure negatively affected empathy by lowing autonomy, which in turn reduced their level of empathy. Furthermore, the effect of achievement pressure on empathy, mediated by autonomy, varied depending on peer attachment, confirming the presence of moderated mediation effect. These findings were further discussed in terms of their implications, policy recommendations, and practical significance.