The roles of parenting practices, sociocognitive/emotive traits, and prosocial behaviors in low-income adolescents

Children's and adolescents' social mindfulness in intergroup contexts: The roles of empathy, theory of mind, and inhibitory control in considerate actions

Social mindfulness (SoMi) is recognized as an indirect form of everyday prosocial behavior that involves one's tendency to be appreciative of both one's and others' preferences before making a decision and giving others the opportunity to make their own choices. This study explored how SoMi is differently expressed toward in-group and out-group members among middle-aged children (aged 7-9 years here) and adolescents using an experimental approach. In addition, it examined the relationship among age, SoMi, and sociocognitive abilities, including empathy, theory of mind, and inhibitory control. The results showed that adolescents exhibited SoMi more frequently toward in-group members than did children. In children, theory of mind and age were significantly linked to higher levels of SoMi toward both in-group and out-group members. In addition, there was a positive relationship between children's inhibitory control abilities and their display of SoMi toward in-group members but not toward out-group members. In contrast, among adolescents, only inhibitory control-not theory of mind, age, or empathy-was associated with increased SoMi toward in-group members. Adolescents' SoMi toward out-groups was not correlated with either sociocognitive skills or age. Overall, these findings suggest that socially mindful behaviors in children and adolescents might be shaped by different sociocognitive skills and might vary in how they are directed toward in-group and out-group members. Future research should further investigate the sociocognitive mechanisms underlying these differences in socially mindful behaviors in intergroup context among children and adolescents.

How Latine youth's positive development unfold through farmwork in rural migrant farmworker families in the U.S. Midwest

Some Latine youth from rural migrant farmworker communities engage in farmwork to help support themselves and their families. Although research has documented their motives for working and some characteristics of their employment, knowledge about how these youth construct their work in the fields and how such experiences relate to their positive development is needed to depict their holistic experiences. Using mixed methods, we explored youth's farmwork experiences and examined how these experiences relate to youth's prosocial behaviors, civic responsibility, and ego-resiliency. Data are from a mixed-method study of Latine youth and parents in rural and agricultural families in the U.S. Midwest. The present study uses qualitative data from a subsample of 47 youth (Mage = 11.42, 48.8% boys) who participated in interviews and survey activities. Thematic coding of the interviews revealed sociocognitive, socioemotional, skilled-related, and physical experiences, as well as prosocial considerations that included perspective taking, moral reasoning, and empathetic concern. Integrating qualitative and quantitative data showed that these experiences were distinctively associated with higher other-oriented and lower self-oriented prosocial behaviors and higher ego-resiliency. Further, farmworker youth also showed significantly lower civic efficacy, indicating that farmwork may discourage some aspects of civic responsibility. The results can inform policy and program designs on promoting Latine youth's positive development in the face of adversity, such as by highlighting character development and bridging youth engagement with civic spheres.

Parenting practices and trajectories of proactive coping assets among emerging adult Black men

Positive youth development (PYD) frameworks suggest that a critical response to investigating the challenges young Black men living in resource poor communities experience involves identifying contextual resources in young men's lives and personal assets that promote success. The following study examines heterogeneity in proactive coping assets trajectories, parental practices as predictors of developmental trajectories, and associated outcomes of each trajectory. The study sample consisted of Black emerging adult men living in rural Georgia (N = 504). At baseline, men were between the ages of 19 and 22 (Mage = 20.29; SD = 1.10). At wave four, the participants' mean age was 27.67 (SD = 1.39). Results of growth mixture modeling from waves 1 to 3 discerned three developmental trajectory classes of emerging adults' proactive coping assets: a high and increasing class (n = 247, 49%), a low and stable class (n = 212, 42%), and a moderate and decreasing class (n = 45, 9%). Trajectory classes were linked to baseline levels of parental support, coaching, and expectations. Analysis revealed that parental support and parental coaching predicted proactive coping asset trajectory class identification. Links were then investigated between emerging adults' proactive coping asset trajectory classes and wave four physical health, depression, and alcohol use. Results revealed significant associations between class identification, alcohol use, and physical health. Study findings provide evidence supporting the impact of parenting on emerging adult Black men, underscoring the need to expand resources that support parenting and emerging adult relationships.

Restorative Parental Discipline and Types of Defending Bystander Intervention in Cyberbullying: The Mediate Role of Justice Sensitivity

Parental socialization strategies are critical in explaining adolescents' online behavior. This study examined the relationships between parental restorative discipline, observed justice sensitivity, and cyber-bystander defender intervention (constructive and aggressive) in cyberbullying. The sample comprised 900 Mexican adolescents (40.2% male and 58.8% female), of which 450 were from secondary school (M age = 13.6, SD = 0.8) and 450 were from high school (M age = 15.4, SD = 1.3). Structural equation modeling with latent variables was performed. Overall, the results indicate that parental restorative discipline positively relates to the observer's justice sensitivity and the adoption of constructive interventions by cyber-bystander defenders. However, restorative discipline had no significant direct relationship with aggressive intervention. Observers' justice sensitivity mediates the association between restorative parenting discipline and aggressive or constructive defender interventions. Gender does not moderate the relationship proposed in the structural model. These findings suggest that parental restorative discipline explains constructive and aggressive cyber-bystander defender interventions in cyberbullying.

Parenting and Chinese Adolescents' Multidimensional Prosocial Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Sympathy

In this study, the prediction of maternal and paternal parenting behaviors to 1527 (59.27% female, age ranged between 11 and 18 years old) Chinese adolescents' multidimensional prosocial behaviors, and the moderating role of adolescents' sympathy were examined. Data were collected in 2019. Adolescents reported their perceived parenting practices, their own sympathy and prosocial tendencies using online questionnaires. Results from path models in Mplus indicated care and autonomy granting of both parents were uniquely and positively associated with adolescents' various prosocial behaviors. Paternal control was also positively associated with adolescents' public prosocial behaviors. Further, adolescents' sympathy moderated the association between paternal autonomy granting to adolescents' altruistic prosocial behaviors, as well as between paternal control and adolescents' compliant and emotional prosocial behaviors. Our study contributed novel information regarding the roles of maternal and paternal parenting and sympathy in Chinese adolescents' diverse prosocial behaviors. Replications with longitudinal design are needed.

The influence of student factors on students' achievement in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study in Abu Dhabi Emirate Schools

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate student factors affecting performance in mathematics in Abu Dhabi schools in the United Arab Emirates.

Method

We used the secondary data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2015, which included 4,838 eighth-grade students from 156 schools in Abu Dhabi.

Result

The data from the student questionnaire in TIMSS 2015 were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). The 39 questions were reduced to five factors generated from the student questionnaire, including Safety and Behavior, Classroom Mathematics, Environment, Student Attitudes toward Mathematics, and Technology and Resources. The effects of these factors on students' achievement were examined using multiple regression analysis.

Discussion

All of these factors had a significant impact on student achievement in the 2015 TIMSS. The pedagogical and policy implications of the findings have been discussed.

Effect of Socioeconomic Status on Altruistic Behavior in Chinese Middle School Students: Mediating Role of Empathy

Previous studies have shown that socioeconomic status is correlated to altruistic behavior. The role of empathy as one of the motivations for altruistic behavior is gradually gaining attention among researchers. This study explores the role of empathy in the mechanisms of socioeconomic status and altruistic behavior in Chinese adolescents. A total of 253 middle school students from Northern China participated in this study, which included the dictator game and Interpersonal Relation Index. Results showed that (1) low-SES students behaved more generously than high-SES students; (2) the students were more generous to the low-SES recipients, as shown when offering them more money in the dictator game; (3) affective rather than cognitive empathy mediates the relationship between socioeconomic status and altruistic behavior. The findings provide evidence for the validation of the empathy-altruism hypothesis in a group of Chinese adolescents. Meanwhile, it reveals the path to improving altruistic behavior through the promotion of empathy, especially for individuals of high socioeconomic status.

Measurement of Prosocial Tendencies: Meta-Analysis of the Generalization of the Reliability of the Instrument

The Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) and its revised version (PTM-R) are used internationally to measure prosocial behaviors in different life situations. To obtain accumulated evidence of the report and the reliability of its scores, a meta-analysis of the reliability of internal consistency was performed. The databases of Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus were reviewed and all the studies that applied it from 2002 to 2021 were selected. Results: Only 47.9% of the studies presented the index of reliability of PTM and PTM-R. The meta-analytic results of the reliability report of the subscales that the PTM and the PTM-R have in common were: Public 0.78 (95% CI: 0.76-0.80), Anonymous 0.80 (95% CI: 0.79-0.82), Dire 0.74 (95% CI: 0.71-0.76), and Compliant 0.71 (95% CI: 0.72-0.78). Each one of them presents high levels of heterogeneity derived from the gender of the participants (percentage of women), the continent of the population, the validation design, the incentive to participate, and the form of application. It is concluded that both versions present acceptable reliabilities to measure prosocial behavior in different groups and situations, as adolescents and young people, but their clinical use is discouraged.

Longitudinal paths between parents' use of rewards and young adolescents' moral traits and prosocial behaviors

BACKGROUND

Although prior research shows supportive evidence that parental practices are associated with adolescents' prosocial behaviors, limited evidence exists on the effects of parents' use of social and material rewards on distinct forms of prosocial behaviors, and the mediating effects of sociocognitive and socioemotive traits in these relations.

AIMS

The present study was designed to examine the longitudinal relations among parents' use of social and material rewards, youth prosocial traits, and prosocial behaviors.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Participants were 417 adolescents (M age = 14.70 years; 225 girls) from Valencia, Spain who completed surveys on parents' use of social and material reward practices, prosocial moral reasoning, empathic concern, and six types of prosocial behaviors.

RESULTS

Path analyses showed that parents' use of social rewards was indirectly, positively related to emotional, dire, altruistic, public (negatively), and compliant prosocial behaviors via empathic concern. The use of social rewards was also indirectly positively linked to altruistic prosocial behaviors via both empathic concern and prosocial moral reasoning. In contrast, parents' use of material rewards predicted less prosocial moral reasoning, which in turn, was linked to more altruistic, prosocial behaviors.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

The implications for parental socialization and self-determination theories of prosocial and moral development are discussed.

The Influence of School Factors on Students’ Mathematics Achievements in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in Abu Dhabi Emirate Schools

This study aimed to explore school factors that influence students’ achievements in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in schools in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. The study sample for TIMSS 2015 consisted of 4838 students in eighth grade; 2172 girls, 2666 boys, and 156 schools from Abu Dhabi attended and participated in TIMSS 2015. Principal component analysis (PCA) was run on 77 items of school questionnaires administered to school principals to provide information about the school contexts for teaching and learning. The five factors from the school questionnaire were general school resources, school discipline and safety, parental support, principal experience and education, and library and instruction resources. Multiple regression models were implemented to examine the impact of school factors on student achievement in TIMSS 2015. The models are statistically significant, indicating that they fit the data well. This also demonstrates a significant linear relationship between students’ achievement in TIMSS 2015 and the variables related to school factors.

Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)-Related Practices in Abu Dhabi Emirate Schools

Mathematics teachers’ perceptions and awareness of different kinds of assessments (e.g., diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments) may affect their classroom practices. In this context, the current study explored mathematics teachers’ perceptions and self-reported practices teaching mathematics for Trends of International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in Abu Dhabi schools in the United Arab Emirates. A teacher perception questionnaire was designed, then was administered to 522 mathematics teachers in Abu Dhabi schools in the academic year 2020–2021. A One-Sample t-test, Independent Sample t-test, and ANOVA tests were performed for the four-component variables of teacher perceptions, namely, teachers’ perceptions of TIMSS, their instructional practices in relation to TIMSS, the readiness of students for TIMSS, and the school and classroom environment for TIMSS. The results showed no statistically significant difference between male and female teachers in mathematics teaching practices with a focus on TIMSS or their perceptions of student readiness for TIMSS; however, there were differences in their perceptions of the school and classroom environment that were statistically significantly. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between public and private schools in the practice of mathematics teachers for TIMSS, while the difference was statistically significant on views regarding student readiness for the TIMSS as well as on the school and classroom environment. The findings of the present study have both pedagogical and policy implications, which are discussed at the end of this paper.

Trajectories of Youth's Helping From Adolescence into Adulthood: The Importance of Social Relations and Values

Helping behaviors (e.g., helping a sick friend, volunteering) are important forms of community involvement and likely change with age and life context. Yet, trajectories of community helping from adolescence through early adulthood have rarely been examined. It is also unclear how the roles of family, friends, and social attitudes might foster the development of helping behaviors across these years. We report on a study of community helping in a Canadian youth sample, across five intervals over a 15-year span, beginning at age 17 (N = 416). Helping displayed a quadratic trend, decreasing into the mid-20s, and then rebounding somewhat by 32. Social responsibility and salience of friends' prosocial moral values positively predicted age 17 community helping, whereas parents' moral values predicted less decrease in helping over this timeline. These findings add to an understanding of moral influences and social responsibility, in the potential shaping of youths' community helping behaviors.

Perceived Characteristics of Life Events—Short-Term Changes in Prosociality and Empathy?

Post-traumatic growth can be understood as positive change in desirable personality traits after adverse life events. However, recent research questioned whether adversity is a relevant, necessary, and sufficient condition for change in desirable personality traits. Using five-wave longitudinal data, this study explored changes in the desirable personality traits prosociality and empathy before and after life events. We included all life events participants had experienced between the second and third assessment, that is, adverse, ambiguous, and positive events. Participants rated their life events on the Event Characteristics Questionnaire which assesses the individual perception of life events on nine continuous dimensions: challenge, emotional significance, extraordinariness, external control, impact, valence, social status change, predictability, and change in world views. We used multilevel growth curve models to explore changes in prosociality and empathy as a function of these event characteristics. Prosociality and empathy remained stable in the assessment period of 6 to 9 months after the reported life event, independently of whether the event had been perceived as adverse or not. We discuss our findings with respect to the inclusion of positive and ambiguous events as predictors of personality change and with respect to its theoretical implications for post-traumatic growth and personality development more broadly.

The effect of migration and the hukou registration system on psychosocial domains and family functioning of children in Shanghai, China

BACKGROUND

According to the 2017 China National Education Development Statistics Bulletin, there were 14.07 million rural-urban migrant children in the compulsory education stage. The mental health of migrant children in China has drawn increasing attention in research. The objective of this study was to compare subjective well-being, self-esteem, prosocial behaviour and family functioning of migrant children vs local children in Shanghai and to explore their relationship.

METHODS

A survey was conducted among 2229 students (9-17 y of age; male 52.0%, female 48.0%) and their parents from grades 4 to 8 in four primary schools and four middle schools in Shanghai in 2016. The sample consisted of 1333 migrant children and 896 urban children in three migrant schools and five public schools. A total of 959 rural-urban migrant children and 374 urban hukou migrant children were recruited. The questionnaire for students included the Personal Well-Being Index - School Children (PWI-SC), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Family APGAR Index and prosocial behaviour domain of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. In the questionnaire for parents, the Personal Well-Being Index and Social Support Rating Scale were used in addition to the sociodemographic characteristics. These data were analysed using one-way analysis of variance, correlation analysis and multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

Rural-urban migrant children reported significantly lower PWI-SC, SWLS, positive affect, prosocial behaviour, self-esteem and Family APGAR Index scores and reported higher negative affect scores than local children (p<0.01). The prevalence rate of abnormal prosocial behaviour among rural-urban migrant children was 10%, which was higher than that of local children (5.9%; p<0.001). Compared with rural-urban migrant children in public schools, the SWLS, prosocial behaviour and Family APGAR Index scores of the children in migrant schools were higher and the prevalence rate of abnormal prosocial behaviour was lower (p<0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the self-esteem and Family APGAR Index had predictive effects on subjective well-being and prosocial behaviour scores of rural-urban migrant children.

CONCLUSIONS

Rural-urban migrant children are susceptible to mental health problems. Additional public policy and interventions by practitioners are needed to support rural-urban migrant children.

Life Events and Prosocial Behaviors Among Young Adults: Considering the Roles of Perspective Taking and Empathic Concern

The authors examined the altruism born of suffering model in a culturally diverse sample of young adults. They hypothesized that major life events would interact with perspective taking to predict empathic concern, which would predict multiple types of prosocial behaviors among young adults. The sample included 202 young adults (M age = 20.94 years; 76.5% girls; 36.5% White, 50.5% Latino) who reported on their exposure to major life events, perspective taking and empathic responding, and tendency to engage in six forms of prosocial behaviors. Life events indirectly, positively predicted prosocial behaviors via empathic concern. Empathic concern and perspective taking also interacted to predict empathic responding. The results demonstrated links that support the altruism born of suffering model, suggesting that life stressors might not always be negative and might promote resilience and social connection among young adults under specific conditions.