3-166 - The Role of Peers and Friends in the Development of (Early) Adolescents’ Prosocial Behaviors and Relations

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Prosocial behavior entails “voluntary behavior that benefits others or promotes harmonious relations with others” (Bergin, Talley, & Hamer, 2003, p. 13), exemplified by providing practical or emotional support, or sharing. Youngsters are confronted with social and academic challenges that might be more easily tackled when help is around the corner. As peers become significant attachment figures (Allen & Land, 1999) facing similar challenges, (early) adolescents may increasingly rely on peers for support. Therefore, it is crucial to understand prosocial behavior in light of the peer context.
This symposium, including authors and samples from the US and the Netherlands, addresses the role of peers concerning initiation and development of prosocial behavior in three steps. First, a multi-informant longitudinal study unravels the bidirectional link between children’s and adolescents’ prosocial/aggressive peer group affiliation and prosocial behavior using structural equation modeling. The second study zooms in on this, and specifies individual characteristics predicting display and receipt of peer prosocial behavior using longitudinal social network analysis. The third study concludes with panel models of bidirectional associations between prosocial behavior and numerous aspects of friendship quality.
This international symposium aims at covering an extensive range of topics and methodologies within the theme of peer prosocial behavior, and does so by examining prosocial behaviors in the role of predictors, outcomes, and support relationships, and subjecting these to varying statistical approaches. Together, our studies aim at clarifying the role of peers regarding prosocial behaviors, and the way peers could help to stimulate these behaviors among youth.

Sub Unit

• Social Relationships

Chair

• Loes van Rijsewijk, University of Groningen

Discussant

• Kathryn Wentzel, Univ of Maryland

Individual Presentations

• The Links Between Children’s Peer Group Affiliation and Prosocial Behavior in Elementary School - Presenting Author: Deborah J. Laible, Lehigh University; Erin Karahuta, Lehigh University; Gustavo Carlo, University of Missouri, Columbia

• Antecedents of Adolescent Peer Prosocial Relations: Studying Initiation and Development With Longitudinal Social Network Analysis - Presenting Author: Loes van Rijsewijk, University of Groningen; Jan Kornelis Dijkstra, University of Groningen; Kim Pattiselanno, University of Groningen; Christian Steglich, University of Groningen; Rene Veenstra, University of Groningen

• Longitudinal Bidirectional Relations Between Friendship Quality and Prosocial Behavior Toward Friends During Adolescence - Presenting Author: Laura M Padilla-Walker, Brigham Young University; Gustavo Carlo, University of Missouri, Columbia