Higher Levels Of Prosocial Behavior Research Articles

The Effect of Affective Empathy on Prosocial Behavior among College Students

Affective empathy is the response and feeling to others’ emotions, it includes empathic concern and personal distress. In the real situation, empathy always occurs under certain specific circumstances and can develop into an individual’s prosocial behavior. In this experiment, the relationship between the empathy state and prosocial behavior of college students was discussed using specific emotional materials. Batson’s Empathy Adjective Scale and the revised Prosocial Behavior Scale were used. The results show that viewing specific emotional materials can stimulate different levels of emotional empathy. In a state of high emotional empathy, people have higher levels of prosocial behavior. Different emotional empathy states can only have a significant impact on some dimensions of prosocial behavior, including three dimensions of openness, compliance, and emotion. However, the three dimensions of anonymity, altruism, and urgency do not have a significant impact.

Associations between forms of aggression and peer victimization: Does prosocial behavior matter?

Relatively little is known regarding factors that may mitigate the strength of the associations between forms of aggressive behavior and peer victimization. The goal of the current study was to investigate prosocial behavior as a moderator of these links over a 2-year period during middle childhood. Participants included 410 third-grade students (53% boys) and their homeroom teachers. Results indicated that prosocial behavior was associated with lower initial levels of victimization, whereas relational aggression was associated with higher initial levels of victimization. Physical aggression predicted more stable patterns of victimization over time, and prosocial behavior moderated the prospective link from relational aggression to peer victimization; specifically, relational aggression predicted decreases in victimization at higher levels of prosocial behavior and more stable patterns over time when levels of prosocial behavior were low. Further, gender differences were observed in the moderating effect of prosocial behavior on the prospective link from physical aggression to peer victimization, such that it served as a risk factor for boys and a protective factor for girls.

Longitudinal Associations Between Support and Prosocial Behavior Across Adolescence: The Roles of Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, and Friends

Family members and friends can play an important role in adolescents’ prosocial behavior. To better understand the relation between support and prosocial behavior in adolescence, it’s important to conduct longitudinal studies that distinguish between within-dyad variance and between-dyad variance. The current study investigated longitudinal associations between adolescents’ prosocial behavior, autonomy support, and emotional support from family and friends across adolescence. Across six annual years, 497 Dutch adolescents (284 boys; mean age T1 = 13.03 years, SDage = 0.46), fathers, mothers, siblings, and friends reported on their prosocial behavior. Adolescents also reported on perceived autonomy and emotional support. Between-dyads almost all associations of support and prosocial behavior of family members and friends with adolescents’ prosocial behavior were significant, with higher levels of adolescents’ prosocial behavior being associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior and support from fathers, mothers and friends. Within-dyads, several concurrent associations were significant, but within-dyads links between prosocial behavior and autonomy support are particularly driven by adolescent-mother or adolescent-sibling effects. This study highlights processes that occurred either at the between-dyad level or at the within-dyad level, but that varied per relationship type and that adolescents are the main catalysts in within-dyads changes in prosocial behavior and support. Preregistration: This study was preregistered on 20 January 2020 at https://osf.io/vxkm3/?view_only=dca87fd1585c444ba5cd5a00c22280ae.

The Prognostic Usefulness of Multiple Specifiers for Subtyping Conduct Problems in Early Childhood

To better describe and treat children with conduct problems (CP), grandiose-manipulative and daring-impulsive traits are proposed for subtyping CP, instead of using only a callous-unemotional specifier. However, the acclaimed benefits of having multiple specifiers for CP remain largely untested and therefore highly speculative. To fill this gap, this study tested longitudinal relations between these 3 specifiers and developmental outcomes in childhood and adolescence, independent of early childhood CP. Longitudinal data from 2 community studies were used. Teacher ratings were used to measure CP and the specifiers in 3- to 5-year-olds from Sweden (n= 2,064) and Spain (n= 2,055). Developmental outcomes were assessed by multiple informants (ie, teachers, parents, and children) 1 to 8 years later. Early childhood CP were predictive of all outcomes. Callous-unemotional traits predicted low levels of social competence and prosocial behavior, independent of CP (and age, gender, and socioeconomic status). Grandiose-manipulative and daring-impulsive traits were predictive of aggression and violent delinquency, respectively, independent of CP, but also of higher levels of prosocial behavior or social competence. The 3 specifiers are predictive of different outcomes, independent of CP, which is thought to form the basis for developing specifiers for CP. Findings tentatively challenge the centrality of callous-unemotional traits for subtyping CP, but it is premature to conclude that grandiose-manipulative and daring-impulsive specifiers are needed in future revisions of DSM and ICD. Efforts to systematically evaluate the utility of these specifiers should be welcomed to inform ongoing debates on this matter.

Companion animals and profiles of peer social behavior in adolescence.

Relationships with companion animals have been associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior and lower levels of socioemotional difficulties for children and adolescents. Companion animals may be supportive of developing prosocial behavior in youth through practice with positive social interactions and the development of empathy and reciprocity skills. The goal of this study was to use a person-centered approach to investigate if living with a pet (including pet species) is associated with profiles of adolescent peer social behaviors (i.e., prosocial, aggressive), and size of their peer network. This study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study®, a large, nationally representative data set of American adolescents. In a cross-sectional sample of 5218 adolescents, we found that youth clustered into four different distinct profiles of peer social behavior. Female youth living with dogs were less likely to be in the High Aggression profile as compared to youth without pets or youth with other types of pets. However, having a pet was not associated with whether youth were in the profiles characterized by prosocial behaviors or size of peer network. Overall, future research should explore how gender intersects with companion animal interactions-both in terms of frequency of interactions as well as relationship quality/emotional attachment-as well as examine these relationships over time to assess causality.

Design and evaluation of an augmented reality cyberphysical game for the development of empathic abilities

Emotional deficits such as lack of empathy in children and adolescents are strong predictors of developing antisocial behavior, making inappropriate moral judgments, difficulties in interpersonal relationships or bullying. To promote learning empathic skills, the present work proposes the design of a cyber-physical mobile game with Augmented Reality and Geolocation implemented in a learning model based on tasks and steps. The main focus is on designing scenarios that generate affective, cognitive, reflective and social experiences that favor the expression of prosocial behavior. To verify the effectiveness of our EmpathyAR game, an evaluation was applied to an experimental vs. control group. The results indicate that the game is evaluated positively by the players at the usability level (utility, ease of use and learning and satisfaction) and game experience (positive affect, competence, and immersion). Compared to the control group, which resorted to traditional strategies, we observed that EmpathyAR has a positive impact as a learning strategy on 2 dimensions of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) for empathy, i.e. fantasy and empathic concern. For the remaining two IRI dimensions (perspective taking and personal distress) despite not providing statistically significant differences, the results show that EmpathyAR improves the score obtained in these dimensions. At the end of the experimental study the players revealed higher levels of prosocial behavior than those who did not play the game. Finally, these gamification strategies that combine the physical and virtual worlds can be viable alternatives to motivate young students to develop and acquire empathy skills while playing in situated physical contexts.

Behavior Problems, Self-Esteem, and Prosocial Behavior in Siblings of Children With Chronic Physical Health Conditions: An Updated Meta-Analysis.

Chronic physical health conditions (CPHC) of children affect the whole family. The aim of the present meta-analysis was to compare levels of internalizing, externalizing, and total problems as well as self-esteem/positive self-concept and prosocial behavior of the healthy siblings with children from families not affected by CPHC and test norms, respectively. A systematic search for literature was conducted using the electronic data bases CINAHL, PsycInfo, PubMed, PSYNDEX, and Web of Science. In total, results from 216 studies were included in random-effects meta-analyses that had been published or made available online before February 15, 2022. Healthy siblings of children with CPHC had elevated levels of internalizing (g = .18 standard deviation units), externalizing (g = .13), and total behavior problems (g = .22), and effect sizes were found to be small to very small. While levels of self-esteem did, on average, not vary between healthy children with and without a sibling with CPHC or test norms (g = .08), higher levels of prosocial behavior were found in the healthy siblings of children with CPHC (g = .18). In addition, some moderating effects of kind of CPHC and its intrusiveness as well as mortality risk, country, sociodemographic equivalence of the compared groups, and year of publication were identified. It is concluded that CPHC of a child can have negative as well as positive effects on psychosocial outcomes of healthy siblings. Psychosocial interventions are recommended for healthy siblings at elevated risk for psychological problems.

Parental Management of Adolescents’ Peer Relationships in Ghana and the United States

A sample of Ghanaian (n = 119) and United States (US; n = 70) adolescents was used to examine parental management of peer relationships. Adolescents completed measures of consulting, guiding, parent-adolescent conflict about peers, and social behavior. Compared to US adolescents, Ghanaian adolescents reported higher levels of overt aggression and relational aggression. Ghanaian adolescents reported higher levels of conflict with parents about peers than US adolescents. Ghanaian boys reported the highest level of conflict with parents about peers, US boys reported the lowest level of conflict with parents about peers, and Ghanaian and US girls reported medium levels of conflict about peers. Girls reported higher levels of prosocial behavior than boys. Older adolescents reported higher levels of conflict with parents about peers, higher levels of overt aggression, and higher levels of relational aggression. Across nationality groups, higher levels of consulting were related to lower levels of overt aggression. Multiple regression analyses suggested that higher levels of conflict with parents about peer relationships was related to higher levels of overt aggression and relational aggression across nationality groups. A significant two-way interaction revealed that, for US adolescents, higher levels of consulting were related to higher levels of prosocial behavior. A significant three-way interaction suggested that guiding was not related to prosocial behavior regardless of level of conflict among Ghanaian adolescents. For US adolescents, higher levels of guiding at higher levels of conflict were associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior among US adolescents.

Relationship between stress response and depression in vocational medical school students in the COVID-19 epidemic: A moderated mediation model

To investigate the relationship between stress response and depression in vocational medical school students at the initial stage of COVID-19 epidemic, and to explore the mediating role of meaning in life and the moderating role of prosocial behavior. The COVID-19 Stress Response Questionnaire, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, the Prosocial Behavior Scale and the Depression Scale, were used to investigate 3526 vocational medical school students. The results showed that: (1) The relationship between stress response and depression in vocational medical school students was partially mediated by presence of meaning and search for meaning. Stress response has indirect effect on depression of vocational medical school students through meaning in life. (2) Prosocial behavior moderated the relationship between meaning in life and depression. Specifically, meaning in life has a more significant effect on depression for college students with higher levels of prosocial behavior.

The Philanthropic Poor: Prosocial Behavior in Rural India

The study of philanthropy has largely been the purview of the wealthy and privileged in Western societies. However, the act of giving transcends race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, and socioeconomic conditions. This article adds to the philanthropic literature by providing empirical evidence of the prosocial behaviors of rural villagers throughout India. Using responses from a large-scale, door-to-door survey ( n=3,159), we found that high percentages of rural Indians regularly engage in both formal and informal giving and volunteering. Even among generally poor, rural Indian villagers, socioeconomic indicators still matter (with the exception of education), and minority religions and lower social groups tend to exhibit higher levels of prosocial behavior than dominant religious and social groups.

Functional Connectivity Differences Between Two Culturally Distinct Prairie Vole Populations: Insights Into the Prosocial Network

BackgroundThe goal of this study was to elucidate the fundamental connectivity—resting-state connectivity—within and between nodes in the olfactory and prosocial (PS) cores, which permits the expression of social monogamy in males; and how differential connectivity accounts for differential expression of prosociality and aggression. MethodsUsing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we integrated graph theory analysis to compare functional connectivity between two culturally/behaviorally distinct male prairie voles (Microtusochrogaster). ResultsIllinois males display significantly higher levels of prosocial behavior and lower levels of aggression than KI (Kansas dam and Illinois sire) males, which are associated with differences in underlying neural mechanisms and brain microarchitecture. Shared connectivity 1) between the anterior hypothalamic area and the paraventricular nucleus and 2) between the medial preoptic area and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the nucleus accumbens core suggests essential relationships required for male prosocial behavior. In contrast, Illinois males displayed higher levels of global connectivity and PS intracore connectivity, a greater role for the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and anterior hypothalamic area, which were degree connectivity hubs, and greater PS and olfactory intercore connectivity. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that behavioral differences are associated with PS core degree of connectivity and postsignal induction. This transgenerational system may serve as powerful mental health and drug abuse translational model in future studies.

Conduct problems among children in low-income, urban neighborhoods: A developmental psychopathology- and RDoC-informed approach

AbstractConduct problems are associated with numerous negative long-term psychosocial sequelae and are among the most frequent referrals for children's mental health services. Youth residing in low-income, urban communities are at increased risk for conduct problems, but not all youth in these environments develop conduct problems, suggesting heterogeneity in risk and resilience processes and developmental pathways. The present study used a developmental psychopathology- and Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)-informed approach for conceptualizing risk and resilience for conduct problems among children from low-income, urban neighborhoods. Participants were 104 children (M = 9.93 ± 1.22 years; 50% male; 96% African American, 4% Latinx). We assessed four constructs reflecting cognitive and neurobiological processes associated with conduct problems using multiple levels of analysis and informants: autonomic nervous system reactivity, limbic system/orbitofrontal cortical functioning, dorsolateral prefrontal cortical functioning, and conduct problems. Latent profile analysis identified four profiles: typically developing (TD, n = 34); teacher-reported conduct problems (TCP, n = 14); emotion processing (EP, n = 27); and emotion expression recognition (EER, n = 29). External validation analyses demonstrated that profiles differed on various indices of conduct problems in expected ways. The EP profile exhibited lower levels of emotional lability and callous–unemotional behaviors, and higher levels of prosocial behavior. The TD profile demonstrated elevated emotional lability. Implications for etiological and intervention models are presented.

The modulation of social behavior and empathy via oral contraceptives and female sex hormones

Oral contraceptives (OC) and endogenous female sex hormones in naturally cycling women (NC) are related to a wide range of psychological variables (eg, cognition and affect). Little research on social behavior has been done. One study documented a tendency towards more prosocial behavior in NC than OC women, but the underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms remain unknown. The sex hormones progesterone and estradiol are potential candidates. We analyzed social decision-making and social behavior in 83 healthy women (38 OC and 45 NC) via the Social Value Orientation (SVO) and in real social interactions within a paradigm adapted from behavioral economics. We also measured empathy, and collected saliva samples to quantify the basal levels of estradiol and progesterone. Our analyses revealed higher levels of prosocial behavior and emotional empathy in NC than in OC women, a finding supported by higher levels of prosocial decisions in NC than OC women in the SVO. Regarding the underlying biological mechanisms, we detected lower progesterone levels in OC than NC women. Exploratory analyses revealed a negative correlation between progesterone and trust on the trend level. We found no correlations between estradiol and behavior. Our findings provide evidence that OC modulate social behavior and initial indications of a possible modulation by progesterone. Further research is needed to replicate our findings and extend them to other social behaviors.

Too cynical to reconnect: Cynicism moderates the effect of social exclusion on prosociality through empathy

Extant findings are mixed on whether social exclusion impacts prosociality. We propose one factor that may underlie the mixed results: Cynicism. Specifically, cynicism may moderate the exclusion-prosociality link by influencing interpersonal empathy. Compared to less cynical individuals, we expected highly cynical individuals who were excluded to experience less empathy and, consequently, less prosocial behavior. Using an online ball-tossing game, participants were randomly assigned to an exclusion or inclusion condition. Consistent with our predictions, the effect of social exclusion on prosociality through empathy was contingent on cynicism, such that only less-cynical individuals responded to exclusion with greater empathy, which, in turn, was associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior. We further showed this effect to hold for cynicism, but not other similar traits typically characterized by high disagreeableness. Findings contribute to the social exclusion literature by suggesting a key variable that may moderate social exclusion's impact on resultant empathy and prosocial behavior and are consistent with the perspective that people who are excluded try to not only become included again but to establish alliances characterized by reciprocity.

Young Children's Prosocial Behavior Protects Against Academic Risk in Neighborhoods With Low Socioeconomic Status.

Children raised in neighborhoods with low socioeconomic status (SES) are at risk for low academic achievement. Identifying factors that help children from disadvantaged neighborhoods thrive is critical for reducing inequalities. We investigated whether children's prosocial behavior buffers concurrent and subsequent academic risk in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Bradford, UK. Diverse children (N=1,175) were followed until age seven, with measurements taken at four times. We used governmental indices of neighborhood-level SES, teacher observations of prosocial behaviors, and direct assessments of academic achievement. Neighborhood SES was positively associated with academic achievement among children with low levels of prosocial behavior, but not among children with high levels of prosocial behavior. Prosocial behavior may mitigate academic risk across early childhood.

Depression in Children and Adolescents on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Associations with Resilience and Prosocial Behavior

Depression in children and adolescents has become a serious public health problem worldwide. The objectives of this study were twofold: first, to investigate the status of depression among children and adolescents on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the highest plateau in the world, with an average altitude of more than 4200 m (13,776 feet), and second, to examine the associations among prosocial behavior, resilience, and depression. A cross-sectional study was conducted among children and adolescents from Yushu Prefecture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A total of 11,160 participants aged 10–17 years (Mage = 14.34 years, SD = 1.77; 51.4% girls) were included. Self-reported depression, resilience, and prosocial behavior were assessed. The prevalence of depression was 29.2% in the current study. Higher levels of prosocial behavior were significantly associated with lower levels of depression (β = −0.25, p < 0.001). Furthermore, resilience significantly moderated the relationship between prosocial behavior and depression (β = −0.08, p < 0.001); that is, resilience enhanced the protective role of prosocial behavior in depression. These findings indicate that resilience may play an important role in the associations between prosocial behavior and depression, which suggests that improving resilience is essential for the prevention and intervention of depression among children and adolescents on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Differences in Diffusion-Weighted Imaging and Resting-State Functional Connectivity Between Two Culturally Distinct Populations of Prairie Vole

BackgroundWe used the highly prosocial prairie vole to test the hypothesis that higher-order brain structure—microarchitecture and functional connectivity (FC)—would differ between males from populations with distinctly different levels of prosocial behavior. Specifically, we studied males from Illinois (IL), which display high levels of prosocial behavior, and first generation males from Kansas dams and IL males (KI), which display the lowest level of prosocial behavior and higher aggression. Behavioral differences between these males are associated with overexpression of estrogen receptor alpha in the medial amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and neuropeptide expression in the paraventricular nucleus. MethodsWe compared apparent diffusion coefficient, fractional anisotropy, and blood oxygen level–dependent resting-state FC between males. ResultsIL males displayed higher apparent diffusion coefficient in regions associated with prosocial behavior, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, paraventricular nucleus, and anterior thalamic nuclei, while KI males showed higher apparent diffusion coefficient in the brainstem. KI males showed significantly higher fractional anisotropy than IL males in 26 brain regions, with the majority being in the brainstem reticular activating system. IL males showed more blood oxygen level–dependent resting-state FC between the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, paraventricular nucleus, and medial amygdala along with other brain regions, including the hippocampus and areas associated with social and reward networks. ConclusionsOur results suggest that gray matter microarchitecture and FC may play a role the expression of prosocial behavior and that differences in other brain regions, especially the brainstem, could be involved. The differences between males suggests that this system represents a potentially valuable model system for studying emotional differences and vulnerability to stress and addiction.

Discrepancies Between Teacher- and Child- Reports of Proactive and Reactive Aggression: Does Prosocial Behavior Matter?

Although limited, previous research has demonstrated that informants differ on their reports of childhood aggression subtypes (i.e., proactive and reactive). Further research is needed to understand how discrepancies between reporters may be moderated by other variables and how these associations may change over time. This study examined discrepancies between teacher and student reports of proactive and reactive aggression over an academic year (fall to spring) and evaluated whether teachers’ perceptions of prosocial behavior moderate discrepancies among informants. Regression analyses were conducted in a sample of elementary school-aged youth (N = 310, mean age = 9.34, SD = 0.93) and their teachers (N = 17) twice over an academic year. T-test analyses indicated no difference in the magnitude of reporters’ discrepancies across time. However, correlations indicated stronger associations between child and teacher reports of reactive aggression from Fall to Spring. Analyses indicated a positive association between informant reports of reactive, but not proactive, aggression. High levels of prosocial behavior increased informant agreement for reactive aggression across regression methods employed. However, prosocial behavior only increased informant agreement when difference scores in proactive aggression were evaluated. Findings suggest that discrepancies between teacher and child reports of aggression may minimally change over time and that teachers and students are more similar in their reports of reactive than proactive aggression, particularly when teacher perceptions of prosocial behavior are high. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Effects of teachers' emotion regulation, burnout, and life satisfaction on student well-being

Theoretical perspectives suggest the importance of teachers' emotion regulation skills, occupational health (e.g., burnout), and well-being (e.g., life satisfaction) for students, yet few studies have empirically tested these associations. The current study tested whether teachers' cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, occupational burnout, and life satisfaction in the fall were related to the level, and trajectory across the school year, of three indicators of student well-being: student-reported positive outlook, student-reported emotional distress, and peer-reported prosocial behavior. Multilevel growth modeling was employed to examine data from 15 elementary teachers and their 320 students. Teachers' emotion regulation skills and life satisfaction were associated with students' well-being: when teachers used cognitive reappraisal, students reported low emotional distress; when teachers used expressive suppression, students reported a less positive outlook and peers reported few prosocial behaviors; teachers' life satisfaction was associated with high levels of prosocial behavior. Effects on the trajectory of student well-being were not significant.

Is early left-behind experience harmful to prosocial behavior of emerging adult? The role of parental autonomy support and mindfulness

Left-behind youth in rural China refer to those children who remain immobile in rural regions after one or both parents migrate to an urban area for work. Prior research has consistently shown that those youth are vulnerable in terms of emotional and behavioral adjustment, relatively little is known about whether early left-behind experience poses a risk for late life development, such as prosocial behavior. Moreover, scant attention has been paid to the potential protective factors for facilitating their prosocial behavior over time. To fill these gaps, the present research contains two studies: in Study 1 (a cross-sectional design; N = 2384, 51.1% girls, Mage = 19.80, age ranged from 18 to 25 years), we compared prosocial behavior between emerging adults with left-behind experience (EA-LB) and their non-left-behind counterparts; in Study 2 (a two-wave longitudinal design; N = 388, 55.7% girls, Mage = 19.71, age ranged from 18 to 24 years, at Wave 1), we, adopting a sub-sample of Study 1, examined the direct and interactive effects of parental autonomy support, mindfulness, and gender on prosocial behavior in EA-LB. The findings from Study 1 showed that EA-LB reported lower levels of prosocial behavior than their non-left-behind counterparts. Furthermore, the results from Study 2 exhibited that, for males with lower levels of parental autonomy support, higher levels of mindfulness were associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior, whereas, for females with lower levels of parental autonomy support, mindfulness did not make a significant difference regarding prosocial behavior; accordingly, for males with higher levels of parental autonomy support, mindfulness did not make a significant difference concerning prosocial behavior, whereas, for females with higher levels of parental autonomy support, higher levels of mindfulness were associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior. The current study suggests that early left-behind experience in rural China presents an unfavorable condition for prosocial behavior in emerging adulthood. Moreover, parental autonomy support and mindfulness are critical protective factors for promoting prosocial behavior in EA-LB, and these effects should be differentiated by an individual’s gender.