The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the mediating role of empathy in the relationship between moral identity and antisocial behaviors of adolescents. The statistical population included all the students of the high schools in Shiraz city during academic year of 2022-2023 and a sample of 567 people was selected using a multi-stage random cluster method and questionnaires of moral identity (Aquino & Reed, 2002), empathy`s Toronto (Spreng et al., 2009) and Antisocial behaviors (Burt & Donnellan, 2009) were distributed among them. All analyzes were performed using SPSS-24 and AMOS-24 software. The evaluation of the proposed model was done using structural equation modeling. The findings showed that the proposed model has a good fit with the data. The findings showed that the coefficients of the paths of moral identity to empathy and empathy to antisocial behaviors were significant. But the path of moral identity to antisocial behavior was not significant. Also, other findings showed that empathy plays a mediating role in the relationship between moral identity and antisocial behaviors. Therefore, strengthening moral identity along with empathy can lead to the reduction of antisocial behaviors.

Keywords: Moral identity, Empathy, Antisocial Behavior, Adolescent

Introduction
Antisocial behaviors, characterized by the violation of social norms, infliction of harm upon others, and infringement upon personal rights, typically emerge during adolescence and entail severe individual and societal consequences. These repercussions include entanglement with the criminal justice system, diminished quality of life, and even premature mortality. Predominantly observed among adolescent males, the prevalence of such behaviors has risen in recent years, imposing substantial economic burdens on society while concurrently restricting educational and occupational opportunities for youth. Furthermore, these behaviors are strongly associated with adverse outcomes such as unemployment, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. Consequently, identifying protective factors that mitigate the onset of antisocial behaviors constitutes a critical imperative for both clinical intervention and public health policy.
Two pivotal constructs in the prevention of antisocial conduct are moral identity and empathy. Moral identity refers to the extent to which moral attributes are central to an individual’s self-concept; it typically crystallizes in mid-childhood and reaches its zenith during adolescence. Robust moral identity demonstrates a positive correlation with prosocial behaviors and a negative correlation with antisocial conduct. Concurrently, empathy—the capacity to understand and share the emotions of others—serves as a protective mechanism. Individuals exhibiting high levels of empathy possess a heightened ability to comprehend the suffering of others, thereby reducing their propensity for aggression and criminal behavior. Empirical evidence underscores that both constructs play a significant role in behavioral regulation and the reduction of social maladjustment, particularly during the developmental stage of adolescence.
Building upon prior findings that establish a positive association between moral identity and empathy, as well as their respective roles in attenuating antisocial behaviors, this study proposes a conceptual model wherein empathy functions as a mediating variable. Accordingly, the primary hypothesis posits that empathy mediates the relationship between moral identity and antisocial behaviors. Secondary hypotheses include the direct and significant effects of moral identity on antisocial behaviors, the direct effect of moral identity on empathy, and the direct effect of empathy on the reduction of antisocial behaviors. This model elucidates how moral identity, by expanding the "circle of moral concern" and enhancing empathy, exerts an indirect influence in mitigating detrimental behaviors.
Materials & Methods
This study was designed with an applied objective and employed a descriptive-correlational methodology utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The statistical population comprised all secondary school students in Shiraz during the 2019-2020 academic year. A sample size of 600 participants was determined based on the standard formula for SEM, which recommends a ratio of 5 to 15 participants per item, given the instrument’s 58 items. A multi-stage cluster random sampling technique was implemented: two educational districts in Shiraz were initially selected, followed by the random selection of eight secondary schools (four co-ed and four single-sex). From each school, four classes were chosen for participation. After obtaining informed consent from school administrators and students, and clarifying the study’s objectives, paper-and-pencil questionnaires were distributed. Of the 600 collected questionnaires, 33 were excluded due to incomplete or invalid responses, resulting in a final analytical sample of 567 participants. Inclusion criteria required voluntary participation and the absence of prior criminal records, while exclusion criteria encompassed unwillingness to participate, incomplete responses, or enrollment outside the target educational level.
To measure the study variables, three standardized questionnaires were utilized: 1) The Moral Identity Scale by Aquino and Reed (2002), consisting of 10 items assessing two dimensions—internalization and symbolization—which demonstrated a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.81 for the total score in this study; 2) The Toronto Empathy Scale by Spreng et al. (2009), comprising 16 items to evaluate a single empathy dimension, with a reliability coefficient of 0.79; and 3) The Antisocial Behavior Scale by Burt and Donnellan (2009), containing 32 items across three dimensions—physical aggression, social aggression, and law-breaking—which yielded a total Cronbach’s alpha of 0.88. All instruments demonstrated adequate construct validity for the current study, and responses were recorded using Likert scales.
Data analysis was conducted in two phases using SPSS-24 and AMOS-24 software. The descriptive phase involved calculating means, standard deviations, minimum and maximum scores, skewness, and kurtosis. The inferential phase employed Structural Equation Modeling to test the study’s hypotheses. This analytical approach facilitated the examination of both direct and indirect relationships among moral identity, empathy, and antisocial behaviors, thereby allowing for a rigorous test of the proposed conceptual model.
Discussion& result
The final sample comprised 567 students (222 males and 342 females) aged 16 to 18 years. Preliminary statistical analyses confirmed that the distributions of scores for moral identity, empathy, and antisocial behaviors met the assumptions of normality. Furthermore, key statistical assumptions, including the absence of multicollinearity and the independence of errors, were satisfied. Pearson correlation coefficients indicated a significant positive relationship between moral identity and empathy, whereas both variables demonstrated significant negative correlations with antisocial behaviors. These findings suggest that higher levels of moral identity and empathy are associated with reduced antisocial conduct.
To test the proposed conceptual model, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted using AMOS-24 software. Model fit indices indicated an excellent fit between the proposed model and the collected data. Examination of the direct paths revealed that moral identity exerted a significant positive effect on empathy, while empathy significantly negatively influenced antisocial behaviors. However, the direct path from moral identity to antisocial behaviors was not statistically significant and was subsequently excluded from the final model, necessitating an investigation into indirect or mediating effects.
Finally, the bootstrapping method was employed to assess indirect effects. The results demonstrated that moral identity influences antisocial behaviors indirectly through the mediating variable of empathy. The magnitude of this indirect effect was -0.43, and its confidence interval (-0.47 to -0.31) did not include zero, confirming statistical significance. Consequently, the findings support the conclusion that moral identity leads to a reduction in antisocial behaviors among students indirectly by enhancing empathy, with empathy playing a full mediating role in this relationship.
Conclusion
The findings of this study demonstrate that empathy plays a full mediating role in the relationship between moral identity and antisocial behaviors. Specifically, while the direct path from moral identity to antisocial behaviors was not statistically significant, both the path from moral identity to empathy and the path from empathy to antisocial behaviors were significant. These results diverge from previous studies that confirmed a direct negative relationship between moral identity and antisocial behaviors, yet align with research establishing the link between moral identity and empathy, as well as the inhibitory effect of empathy on maladaptive conduct. The lack of significance in the direct path may be attributed to the complex multifactorial nature of antisocial behaviors, which are influenced by variables such as moral cognition, judgment, environmental factors, and other components of personal identity. Consequently, moral identity alone may be insufficient to predict these behaviors without considering intervening mechanisms.
In elucidating the mediating role of empathy, it can be argued that a strong moral identity fosters prosocial motivation and an other-oriented focus, thereby enhancing empathy. Individuals with high moral identity are better equipped to understand the needs and emotions of others, exhibiting a greater propensity for helping behaviors and a stronger aversion to causing harm. Conversely, the absence of empathy and the inability to recognize others’ emotions are key factors in the emergence of aggressive and antisocial conduct. When individuals fail to comprehend the suffering of others, they may feel less responsible for their actions and actively ignore emotional cues, perpetuating a vicious cycle of maladaptive behavior. Thus, empathy functions as a protective mechanism; its enhancement through moral identity serves to mitigate the occurrence of antisocial behaviors.
Despite these findings, the present study was subject to certain limitations, including a focus on students in Shiraz (which limits generalizability), the use of self-report instruments (which may be susceptible to social desirability bias), and specific statistical methodologies. To address these limitations, future research should employ larger, more diverse samples and incorporate observational methods or real-behavioral analyses to enhance data accuracy. Furthermore, given the protective role of empathy in reducing antisocial behaviors, it is recommended that educational interventions focused on enhancing empathy—such as storytelling, role-playing, and modeling appropriate empathetic responses—be implemented, particularly during early developmental stages and across the general population. Such measures can significantly contribute to reducing maladaptive behaviors and fostering a healthier society.