Direct and indirect empathy in refugee aid

People may sometimes bridge the emotional gap to dissimilar others by practicing indirect empathy: imagining how close others would feel in the situation of a person in need. The present study tests this claim in the context of refugee aid. Practitioners working with refugees (N = 119) reported how often they experienced direct empathy (i.e., imagining how they would feel in the situation of the refugees they were working with) and indirect empathy (i.e., imagining how their close ones would feel in the situation of the refugees). They also indicated the extent to which they perceived the refugees as similar to themselves and the extent to which they believed that the refugees they were working with had been forced to leave their country. Practitioners in refugee aid reported experiencing direct empathy more often than indirect empathy – but the prevalence of both was high. Perceived forcedness and perceived similarity positively predicted direct and indirect empathy with similar effect sizes. These findings shed light on a previously overlooked phenomenon: People working with refugees frequently experience indirect empathy. They imagine how their close ones would feel if they were forced to migrate. Knowing more about this process could contribute to improving training and coaching for people working in refugee aid.