Prosocial Tendencies among Chinese American Children in Immigrant Families: Links to Cultural and Socio-demographic Factors and Psychological Adjustment

Peer factors and prosocial behavior among Chinese adolescents from difficult families

Adolescents from difficult families (ADF) is a vulnerable group in China, and there have been few studies focused on them at present. To improve the welfare system for vulnerable groups and gain a better understanding of the situation regarding ADF, it is important to identify the association between peer factors, family functioning, and prosocial behavior among ADF. 1047 adolescents aged 10-15 from difficult families were selected from 21 counties in 7 provinces across China based on the multistage stratified sampling method. Regression analysis and moderation analyses were performed to identify the association of prosocial behavior with peer factors and family functioning. Lower peer quality and poorer family functioning were significantly associated with less prosocial behavior. The was no significant association between peer quantity and prosocial behavior. Family functioning moderated the relationship between peer quality and prosocial behavior. ADF with higher quality peers are more likely to show more prosocial behavior, and poor family functioning would weaken the association between peer quality and prosocial behavior. The protection of ADF can begin by improving family functioning and guiding ADF to form relationships with high-quality peers.

Relations between Prosociality and Psychological Maladjustment in Chinese Elementary and Secondary School Students: Mediating Roles of Peer Preference and Self-Perceived Social Competence

Despite empirical findings that prosociality can prevent elementary and secondary school students from developing psychological maladjustment, little is known about the underlying mechanisms. The goal of the present study was to examine the mediating effects of peer preference and self-perceived social competence on the associations between prosociality and psychological maladjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms and loneliness). Participants were 951 students (Mage = 11 years, 442 girls) in Grades 3~7 from Shanghai, China. They completed peer nominations of prosociality and peer preference and self-report measures of self-perceived social competence, depressive symptoms, and loneliness. Multiple mediation analyses revealed that: (a) both peer preference and self-perceived social competence mediated the relations between prosociality and psychological maladjustment, and (b) a serial indirect pathway (i.e., prosociality → peer preference → self-perceived social competence → psychological maladjustment) emerged when controlling for age group and gender. These findings point to potential targets in the prevention and intervention of Chinese students' internalization of problems.

“Parents are gone”: Understanding the unique and interactive impacts of affective and cognitive empathy on left-behind youth’s academic engagement

Although several studies have shown that left-behind adolescents are vulnerable regarding emotional and behavioral functions, much less research has focused on this group’s academic engagement. The relationship between distinct empathy subcomponents and academic engagement in left-behind youth (versus non-left-behind youth) is therefore largely unknown. To fill these knowledge gaps, the current study compared the academic engagement between left-behind and non-left-behind youth. This study subsequently examined the unique and interactive relationships among affective empathy, cognitive empathy, and left-behind status with academic engagement in a combined sample of left-behind and non-left-behind youth. In total, 323 left-behind youth and 737 non-left-behind youth (Mage = 13.05; 49.5% females) participated in this study. Findings, after adjusting for participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, revealed that left-behind youth did not differ significantly in academic engagement compared to non-left-behind youth. A four-step hierarchical regression analysis showed that both empathy components were positively related to academic engagement. Interaction analyses further exhibited a cross-over effect of affective and cognitive empathy for left-behind youth. Specifically, left-behind youth with high cognitive empathy seemed more susceptible to the influence of affective empathy on academic engagement, for better and for worse. In the presence of high affective empathy, left-behind youth with higher cognitive empathy reported the highest academic engagement, whereas the youth with higher cognitive empathy, in the presence of low affective empathy, reported the lowest. The current study highlights the unique and interactive roles of affective and cognitive empathy in left-behind youth’s academic engagement, including important conceptual and practical implications.

Perceived parenting styles, cognitive flexibility, and prosocial behavior in Chinese Youth with an immigrant background: A three-group comparison

Previous research has revealed cross-cultural differences in parenting styles and in how these may relate to adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Nevertheless, little is known about the role of cognitive flexibility – a key component of executive function –and the immigration context in these associations. Using a person-centered approach, the current study aimed to (1) explore perceived parenting profiles among Chinese immigrant-origin youth in Italy in comparison to their nonimmigrant ethnic majority peers in the country of origin (China) and in the country of destination (Italy), and (2) examine the moderating role of cognitive flexibility in the expected parenting-prosocial behavior link in the three cultural groups. Participants (N = 444; M (Age) = 11.88 years; SD = 1.08; 50.7% girls; 27.4% Chinese immigrant-origin, 35.4% Chinese ethnic majority; 37.2% Italian ethnic majority) completed a parenting questionnaire and a computerized cognitive flexibility task, while teachers rated their prosocial behavior. Latent profile analysis revealed three perceived parenting styles: “harsh” (15.8%), “supportive” (40.5%), and “strict-affectionate” (43.7%). Chinese immigrant-origin, Italian ethnic majority, and Chinese ethnic majority youths were overrepresented in each of these profiles, respectively. In regression analyses, the association between parenting profiles and prosocial behavior varied as a function of adolescents’ cognitive flexibility and cultural group. Specifically, cognitive flexibility strengthened the supportive parenting-prosocial behavior link for Chinese immigrant-origin youth, and buffered against the detrimental effect of harsh parenting on prosocial behavior for their Italian ethnic majority peers. Findings emphasize the influence of cultural and immigration-related factors on adolescents’ perceived parenting styles, and provide further evidence for the beneficial role of cognitive flexibility in the positive adjustment of youth with and without an immigrant background.

Empathic Narrative of Online Political Communication

With the rapid development of the Internet, political culture plays an increasingly prominent role in ethical guidance and value orientation, and the intergenerational inheritance of political culture in various countries needs to be carried out in a sophisticated way. From the perspective of empathic narrative, this study applies the network text analysis method to detect the cultural communication regularities to the contemporary young adults in online political communication and explores contemporary young adults' perception of online political culture through empirical analysis. Moreover, it proposes the empathic narrative logic of online political communication by comparing the existing communication elements and the urgently needed communication elements. Our findings suggest that we need to deepen the cognitive empathy, stabilize the emotional empathy, and adjust the emotional bias in online political communication.

Parent-Child Conflict Profiles in Chinese American Immigrant Families: Links to Sociocultural Factors and School-Age Children's Psychological Adjustment

Research suggests that parent-child conflict is a salient family process in Asian immigrant families and often a stressful experience for Asian American youth due to value discrepancies between Asian and Western cultures. The present study examined ratings of parent-child conflict across conflict topics from parents' and children's perspectives in a sample of Chinese American immigrant families with school-age children (N = 239; age = 7.5-11 years). Latent profile analyses identified three parent-rated conflict profiles and four child-rated conflict profiles. Parent and child conflict profiles were unrelated to each other and differentially related to family sociocultural factors and children's psychological adjustment. Parents' moderate conflict profile scored highest on parent-rated child behavior problems and had the highest household density and lower parent Chinese orientation. Children's moderate-specific and high conflict profiles scored higher on child-reported behavior problems than the low conflict profile. These results highlight the need to assess family conflict from both parents' and children's perspectives and target parent-child conflict communication as a pathway to prevent or reduce behavioral problems in Chinese American children of immigrant families.

Examining the link between economic strain and adolescent social behavior: Roles of social bonds and empathy

Introduction

The detrimental effect of economic strain on adolescent behavioral development is well established, but the mechanisms explaining this relationship are less known. This study aims to explore the psychosocial factors operating as pathways connecting economic strain to adolescent antisocial and prosocial behaviors, and examine whether these effects differ by gender.

Methods

The sample includes 1280 adolescents from middle and high schools in Hebei province, China (Mean age = 15.68 years; 52.6% girls), collected by a multi‐stage cluster random sampling. Multi‐group structural equation modeling is adopted for data analysis.

Results

Social bonds partially mediate the relationship between economic strain and adolescent antisocial behavior, and empathy fully mediates the relationship between economic strain and prosocial behavior after controlling for gender, age, household registration, and subjective socioeconomic status. In terms of gender differences, boys display more antisocial behaviors and less prosocial behaviors compared with girls. Significant gender differences are also found in the effect of economic strain on adolescent social behavior.

Conclusions

This study contributes to current knowledge by revealing the psychosocial mechanisms between economic strain and adolescent antisocial/prosocial behaviors. Findings highlight the gender differences in behavioral development among Chinese adolescents.

Examining the link between economic strain and adolescent social behavior: Roles of social bonds and empathy

INTRODUCTION

The detrimental effect of economic strain on adolescent behavioral development is well established, but the mechanisms explaining this relationship are less known. This study aims to explore the psychosocial factors operating as pathways connecting economic strain to adolescent antisocial and prosocial behaviors, and examine whether these effects differ by gender.

METHODS

The sample includes 1280 adolescents from middle and high schools in Hebei province, China (Mean age = 15.68 years; 52.6% girls), collected by a multi-stage cluster random sampling. Multi-group structural equation modeling is adopted for data analysis.

RESULTS

Social bonds partially mediate the relationship between economic strain and adolescent antisocial behavior, and empathy fully mediates the relationship between economic strain and prosocial behavior after controlling for gender, age, household registration, and subjective socioeconomic status. In terms of gender differences, boys display more antisocial behaviors and less prosocial behaviors compared with girls. Significant gender differences are also found in the effect of economic strain on adolescent social behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to current knowledge by revealing the psychosocial mechanisms between economic strain and adolescent antisocial/prosocial behaviors. Findings highlight the gender differences in behavioral development among Chinese adolescents.

A Relational Framework for Integrating the Study of Empathy in Children and Adults

The development of empathy is central to positive social adjustment. However, issues remain with integrating empathy research conducted with children, adolescents, and adults. The current article (a) provides an overview of how empathy is typically conceptualized and measured in child development and adult research, (b) describes outstanding issues concerning child development and adult research on empathy, and (c) outlines how a relational approach can provide clarity regarding how empathy develops over the course of development. We conclude by offering suggestions for future research on the development of empathy across the lifespan.

The Interpersonal Functions of Empathy: A Relational Perspective

Empathy is an extensively studied construct, but operationalization of effective empathy is routinely debated in popular culture, theory, and empirical research. This article offers a process-focused approach emphasizing the relational functions of empathy in interpersonal contexts. We argue that this perspective offers advantages over more traditional conceptualizations that focus on primarily intrapsychic features (i.e., within the individual). Our aim is to enrich current conceptualizations and empirical approaches to the study of empathy by drawing on psychological, philosophical, medical, linguistic, and anthropological perspectives. In doing so, we highlight the various functions of empathy in social interaction, underscore some underemphasized components in empirical studies of empathy, and make recommendations for future research on this important area in the study of emotion.