A variety of research studies suggest that cohesive, supportive families facilitate adolescent empathy development. For example, research by Henry et al. (1996) found that adolescents who described their family as high in cohesiveness were more likely to report regard and sympathy for the feelings of others; adolescents who saw their parents as supportive also perceived themselves as higher in empathic concern. Henry et al. (1996) conclude that families that are generally supportive, loving, and/or close, foster adolescent empathy development in multiple ways. Not only do these families provide an excellent training ground for empathy skills, but they also establish a precedent for the use of empathic response, which the adolescent will refer to during later interaction with peers and friends.