Poster #131 - Refugee Children's Narration of Post-Transition Prosocial Experiences

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Moral Development

Integrative Statement

Prosocial behavior is any voluntary behavior done with the intent to benefit another (Eisenberg et al., 2015). Previously, studies have examined how environmental adversity impacts overt prosocial behaviour (e.g., Li et al., 2013). However, little research has explored how children facing high levels of adversity (i.e., refugees) perceive their own and others’ prosocial actions. In this study, we aimed at addressing this research gap by examining how refugee children experience helping others and being helped.
Our sample consisted of 86 Syrian refugee children between the ages of 5 and 12 (M=8.05; 55% girls) who had recently immigrated to Canada. Participants were divided into two age-groups of younger (5-8; N=51, M=6.47; 53% girls) and older children (9-12; N=35, M=10.34; 57% girls). Employing methodologies based on previous narrative and prosocial development literature (Wainryb et al., 20005; citation withheld for blinded review), children were asked to recount two narratives: one about providing help to someone else, and one about receiving help. In line with validated coding systems taken from previous research (Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, et al., 2010; Wainryb et al., 2005), narratives were coded for four behavior categories and five motive categories (See Table 1).
To examine contextual differences between providing and receiving help we ran a series of repeated measures binomial logistic regressions for all behaviors and motives. After controlling for age-groups, a main effect of narrative type was found for direct helping, Wald X2 (1) = 8.42, p<.01, comforting, Wald X2 (1) = 5.57, p<.01, and teaching Wald X2 (1) = 5.57, p<.01. Direct helping, b = -0.80, SE = 0.28, z = -2.86, p<.01, OR = 0.4. and comforting, b = -1.71, SE = 0.73, z = -2.36, p<.05, OR = 0.18, were more frequently reported in providing help narratives. In contrast teaching, b = 1.52, SE = 0.34, z = 4.44, p<.001, OR = 0.46, was reported more frequently in receiving help narratives.
Next, we explored developmental differences in helping others and perceiving help. The frequencies with which children reported behaviors and motives in both narratives by age-group are displayed in Table 2. The findings showed developmental differences in the reporting of behaviors and motives in both receiving and providing help. Specifically, older children were more likely to report teaching behavior than younger children in both receiving X2 (1) = 8.34, p<.01, and providing help narratives X2 (1) = 3.86, p=.05, while younger children were more likely to report direct helping behavior than older children in their receiving help narratives X2 (1) = 8.03, p<.01. With regards to motives, in providing help narratives older children were more likely to report fairness X2 (1) = 6.40, p<.05 than younger children, while younger children were more likely to report relationships X2 (1) = 3.90, p<.05 than older children.
Our results highlight distinct contextual and developmental differences in refugee children’s perceived prosocial experiences. The findings will be discussed in relation to developmental theorizing on prosociality and how exposure to environmental adversity may affect it.

Authors

• Eleanor Myatt, University of Toronto
  Presenting Author

• Tina Malti, University of Toronto
  Non-Presenting Author