A longitudinal analysis of social class and adolescent prosocial behaviour: a latent growth model approach (Un análisis longitudinal de clase social y conducta prosocial adolescente: un enfoque de modelo de crecimiento latente)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The current research used longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,091) to examine the link between social class and prosocial behaviour from third grade to sixth grade. Latent growth modelling found that adolescents from families with increased income-to-needs ratio tended to experience an increase in prosocial behaviour from third grade to sixth grade; adolescents from families with high income-to-needs ratio in third grade were more likely to be identified as the class of high initial with decrease; adolescents in the profile of high initial with decrease tended to be more prosocial in each grade and came from families with higher levels of income-to-needs ratio, higher parental education and higher parental occupation. Implications and future directions were presented.