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The Bidirectional Longitudinal Relations Between Prosocial Behavior, Social Support, and Core Self-Evaluation
Cui Xia1, Wan Ding1, Teng Chen1
1Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application, School of Psychology, Parent Education Research Center, Zhejiang Philosophy and Social Science Laboratory for the Mental Health and Crisis Intervention of Children and Adolescents, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, Zhejiang, China.
Abstract:
Previous studies indicates that helping behaviors (prosocial behavior, which benefits others, and social support, which benefits oneself) are closely associated with adolescents' self-development. However, it is still unclear what the mutual relations and potential mechanisms are between prosocial behavior, social support, and core self-evaluation. A total of 1214 Chinese adolescents were surveyed three times, with a six-month interval between each survey (Mage = 15.46, SD = 0.71; 39.3% girls). Using several Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Models (RI-CLPMs), this study examined the relationships among these variables. The results showed reciprocal relations between prosocial behavior and core self-evaluation, between social support and core self-evaluation, and between prosocial behavior and social support. Additionally, this study identified two mediation mechanisms and serial self-enhancement mechanisms. Specifically, prosocial behavior impacted adolescents' core self-evaluation via social support, core self-evaluation also influenced prosocial behavior through social support. Prosocial behavior and core self-evaluation could achieve self-enhancement via social support, and prosocial behavior could also be improved via core self-evaluation. These findings reveal that prosocial behavior, social support, and adolescents' core self-evaluation can influence each other over time, emphasizing the mediating mechanism of social support between prosocial behavior and adolescents' core self-evaluation.
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