Prosocial behaviors are defined as voluntary, desirable behaviors aimed at the benefit of others.
A substantial number of studies converge in supporting the beneficial role of prosocial behaviors on children's adjustment (Eisenberg, Spinrad & Knafo, 2014) and successful youth development (Lerner, Dowling, & Anderson, 2002).
In the present project we aim to understand if positive parenting processes and adolescents family values may prompt, cultivate, or discourage the emergence and the consolidation of prosocial behaviors in adolescence. In particular, we want to examine if the relations between positive parenting and children's prosocial behavior are mediated by the endorsement of adolescents family values.
This is a cross-sectional study that will involve about 400 adolescents between the age of 11-14, and their mothers/fathers, from the metropolitan area of Rome and its surrounding.
Firstly, we will perform a Structural Equation Model model using Mplus in order to test our mediational hypotheses. Specifically, we will evaluate our hypotheses of indirect effects via the product of coefficients method, using the currently recommended technique of generating asymmetric confidence intervals for the product terms from the bias-corrected bootstrap (Hayes & Scharkow, 2013). Then, we will perform multi-group analysis in order to establish the cross gender and age (11-12 and 13-14) invariance of the previous model.
The study of family obligations predominantly has included ethnic groups from Asian and Latin American backgrounds and has reported significant differences between adolescents from these ethnic groups and adolescents from European American backgrounds (Fuligni et al., 1999).
Generally these differences have been ascribed to the fact that North American society traditionally values independence, but Asian and Latin American immigrants tend to hold values related to a strong sense of responsibility toward and connectedness with family members (familism). Some studies with adolescents and young adults have found positive relations between family obligations and positive outcomes, such as parent-adolescent relationship quality and psychological well-being, independently of the ethnic group (Fuligni et al., 1999; Fuligni & Pedersen, 2002). With the exception of the crosscultural study on parenting across culture (Lansford et al 2016), to our knowledge this will be the first study that will examine the relations between positive parenting, family values and prosocial behaviors. It will add our knowledge on Italian parents and if they differ or are similar in their parenting values and childrearing goals.
References:
Fuligni, A. J., & Pedersen, S. (2002). Family obligation and the transition to young adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 38, 856-868.
Fuligni, A. J., Tseng, V., & Lam, M. (1999). Attitudes toward family obligations among American adolescents with Asian, Latin American, and European backgrounds. Child Development, 70, 1030-1044.
Lansford, J. E., Bornstein, M. H., Deater-Deckard, K., Dodge, K. A., Al-Hassan, S. M., Bacchini, D., Bombi, A. S., Chang, L., Chen, B.-B., Di Giunta, L., Malone, P. S., Oburu, P., Pastorelli, C., Skinner, A. T., Sorbring, E., Steinberg, L., Tapanya, S., Alampay, L. P., Uribe Tirado, L. M. and Zelli, A. (2016), How International Research on Parenting Advances Understanding of Child Development. Child Dev Perspect, 10: 202¿207. doi:10.1111/cdep.12186