This article was written by Sarah Molano in CNN:

Teenagers who have close, secure relationships with their families are more likely to extend empathy to their peers, according to a new study.

More specifically, when teens feel safe, supported by and connected to parents or other adult caregivers, they are better equipped to pass the empathy they receive on to others.

The work of Jessica Stern, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia, revolves around how having secure relationships contributes to prosocial behavior, or behavior driven by the intent to benefit others.

Teens who are more empathic show lower levels of aggression and prejudice and are less likely to bully, Stern added, and this is why understanding how relationships shape empathy is important.

The study, conducted at the University of Virginia's Adolescent Research Group, followed 174 adolescents from the ages of 14 to 18 to track their progress annually. At age 14, researchers interviewed the teens regarding their family relationships using a modified version of the Adult Attachment Interview, which is considered the "gold standard" of assessing one's attachment state of mind, according to the study.

Stern said this prompted the teens to share descriptions and stories about their families. Researchers paid attention not only to what the teens said, but also to how they articulated it and how they responded when their friend presented a problem and confided in them.