Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 4, 2025

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
Longitudinal relationship between prosocial behavior and meaning in life of junior high school students: A three-wave
Jinyan Xie1,2, Zhonglin Wen1,2, Jiaqi Shen1,2
1Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (SCNU), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.
Introduction:
Despite much cross-sectional research linking prosocial behavior and meaning in life, few studies have investigated the longitudinal relationship between these two constructs. The article examines the bidirectional longitudinal association between prosocial behavior and meaning in life among junior high school students.
Methods:
A prospective design was adopted, incorporating three measurement occasions (with approximately 6-month intervals, from 2020 to 2021). Data were collected from 764 students (mean age = 12.46, SD = 0.64 years, and 51.4% girls). All participants responded to a questionnaire survey that included the Chinese Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ-C) and Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM-C). Cross-lagged panel models were used to analyze the data.
Results:
(1) Prosocial behavior predicted positively the presence of meaning over time and vice-versa. (2) There was no bidirectional association between the search for meaning and prosocial behavior. (3) There was no gender difference in the bidirectional relationship between meaning in life and prosocial behavior.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that educators should highlight the presence of meaning in adolescent life education from a long-term perspective and encourage students to engage in more prosocial activities.
More Related Videos
07:32Use of Galvanic Skin Responses, Salivary Biomarkers, and Self-reports to Assess Undergraduate Student Performance During a Laboratory Exam Activity
Published on: February 10, 2016
07:01Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
Published on: March 1, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Longitudinal Research
Empathy
Bullying
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...