Positive Youth Development and Prosocial Behavior: A Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-Analysis

Increasing prosocial behavior in youth, especially in those prone to antisocial tendencies, has important implications for both individual and societal well-being. Positive Youth Development, conceptualized into domains by the Collaborative for Academic and Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), has been linked to prosocial behavior, however a synthesis of this evidence has been lacking. Therefore, this systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis investigated the association between (skills within) CASEL domains (i.e., self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) and prosocial behavior, in both normative samples and those characterized by or at-risk of antisocial tendencies.

Searches in PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science identified 6,340 unique records, with 121 studies being included.

Most studies found positive associations between self-awareness and self-management skills and prosocial behavior, with meta-analyses showing small-to-moderate correlations for the skills emotion identification (r = 0.17), self-confidence (r = 0.20), self-control (r = 0.24), self-management (r = 0.25), and self-efficacy (r = 0.29). Moreover, there is some initial evidence suggesting a connection with self-efficacy, relationship skills and building in antisocial/at-risk youth.

Overall, this review highlights the need for an integrative approach to foster prosocial behavior, emphasizing the role of self-awareness and self-management skills in supporting developmental outcomes. However, further research investigating causality and antisocial youth specifically is needed.