Predicting Prosocial Behaviors Concurrently and Longitudinally: The Roles of Family and School Environments

• In Event: Socioeconomic Status and Its Impact on Children

Abstract

The mechanisms underlying the development of prosocial behavior have been among the understudied topics in developmental psychology. Using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) dataset (N = 4858, Mage = 10 years ), this research examined whether and to what extent prosocial behaviors at Time 1 and at Time 2 were predicted by family (i.e., family conflict, parental monitoring, and parental acceptance) and school (i.e., school environment, school involvement, and school disengagement). The results revealed that family and school at Time 1 were both significant predictors of prosocial behaviors at Time 1 and at Time 2. These results confirm the ecological systems theory and provide additional evidence for the effects of social contexts on the development of prosocial behavior.

Authors

• Gulay Guler, The University of New Mexico

• Martin H. Jones, University of New Mexico