title: The long-term effects of birthing interventions on childhood empathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  birthing practices have changed drastically over the past century. It is now more common for women to birth in a hospital, receive drug interventions, and to birth via caesarean section, yet there is a paucity of research on long-term outcomes associated with practices. The research was designed to determine if there were any long-term effects of the birthing experience on child empathic behaviour.
  
  
  METHODS
  two-hundred-and-sixty-four mother-child dyad (M(child_age)=5.92 years; SD=.85 years; 127 boys) completed either a questionnaire on birthing practices (mothers) or a modified Stickers Task to assess empathic behaviour (child).
  
  
  RESULTS
  there was a non-significant effect (Δ=.22, p=.395) of home versus hospital birth and a small-moderate, significant (Δ=.33, p=.017) effect of the use of epidurals during, with children of mothers who did not use an epidural or who birthed at home showing greater empathic behaviour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the birthing location and the decision to have an epidural can have long-term consequences on children's empathy. While researchers need to further examine the mechanisms behind these findings, parents should be made aware of the potential long-term effects in order to allow them to make fully informed decisions.
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Department of Psychology, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Y 1T6. Electronic address: tracy@psych.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Tracy G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Cassels
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003657:Decision Making; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Birth; Empathy; Epidural; Long-term outcomes