Gender-Specific Patterns of Relations among Acculturative Stress, Family Processes, and Prosocial Behaviors in Latinx Youth.

The present study was designed to examine the direct and indirect relations between acculturative stress and Latinx youth prosocial tendencies. In addition, we considered family conflict, parental support, and parental psychological control as explanatory mechanisms. Participants included 306 (53.8% female, Mage = 15.50, SD = .42; range = 14 to 18) Latinx adolescents and their parents (87.9% mothers). The majority of adolescents were born in the U.S. (n = 206, 68.0%; average time in U.S. = 10 years) and identified as a Mexican heritage group member (n = 248, 81.0%). Findings differed by youth gender and suggest that for boys, parental support (but not psychological control) serves as underlying mechanism in the effects of acculturative stress and family conflict on youth's prosocial behaviors. Contrastingly, for girls, parental support (but not psychological control) serves as underlying mechanism in the negative effects of family conflict (but not acculturative stress) on youth's prosocial behaviors. The findings are discussed in the context of the need for integrative theories that account for cultural, family and gender-related socialization mechanisms to better understand prosocial behaviors among Latinx youth.

Understanding Links between Pandemic-Related Racial Attitudes and Out-Group Prosocial Behaviors.

The current study examined COVID-19 pandemic racial attitudes in out-group empathy and out-group prosocial behaviors. Participants included 467 young adults who completed measures of their racial attitudes during the pandemic, out-group perspective taking and empathic concern, and out-group prosocial behaviors. Results demonstrated that pandemic-related racial attitudes were significantly, positively associated with out-group perspective taking and out-group empathic concern, which both positively predicted multiple forms of out-group prosocial behaviors, including emotional, dire, compliant, and anonymous prosocial behaviors. These findings highlight the important role of perspective taking and empathic concern toward individuals outside one's own ethnic group in explaining how racial attitudes during the pandemic were associated with helping behaviors. Discussion focuses on how color-conscious attitudes during an unprecedented U.S. pandemic crisis might be one avenue for promoting prosociality and harmony.

The intervening role of anxiety symptoms in associations between Self-Regulation and prosocial behaviors in U.S. Latino/a college students.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the intervening role of anxiety symptoms in relations between self-regulation and multiple forms of prosocial behaviors in U.S. Latino/a college students. PARTICIPANTS: The sample is based on data from a cross-sectional study on college students' health and adjustment. Participants were 249 (62% women; M age =20 years; 86% U.S. born) college students who self-identified as Latino/a. METHODS: College students self-reported on their self-regulation, anxiety symptoms, and types and targets of prosocial behaviors using online surveys. Path analyses were conducted to test direct and indirect associations among the study variables. RESULTS: Self-regulation was directly and indirectly associated with several types of prosocial behaviors via anxiety symptoms. The hypothesized associations also differed by the target of helping. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore a strengths-based view of the coping and mental health resources that predict positive well-being among U.S. Latino/a college students.

The Buffering Role of Community Self-Efficacy in the Links between Family Economic Stress and Young Adults' Prosocial Behaviors and Civic Engagement.

The goal of the current study was to examine the predictive role of economic stress and community self-efficacy on prosocial behaviors toward friends and strangers, and civic engagement. In addition, we considered the multiplicative effects of economic stress and community self-efficacy on these distinct types of prosocial behaviors (different targets of prosocial behaviors). The sample consisted of 202 young adults (M age = 20.94 years; 76.5% women; 67.5% reported identifying as racially White; 7.7% Black; 5.7% Asian; 5.5% Native; 13.6% other and included groups such as Mestizo, mixed race, and Mexican) who reported on their economic stress, community self-efficacy, and tendencies to engage in prosocial behaviors toward friends and strangers as well as civic engagement. The results demonstrated that economic stress was not directly associated with prosocial behaviors or civic engagement. Community self-efficacy was positively associated with civic engagement and prosocial behaviors toward both friends and strangers. The interaction term was positively associated with prosocial behaviors toward friends. Discussion focuses on the critical role of community self-efficacy as a buffer against stress and as a predictor of multiple forms of prosocial behaviors.

Cultural mechanisms linking mothers' familism values to externalizing behaviors among Midwest U.S. Latinx adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to examine associations among parents' familism values, adolescents' cultural resources, and externalizing behavior among Latinx youth in the Midwestern United States. METHOD: Participants were 267 Latinx adolescents (M age = 15.58 years; SD = 1.28 years; 45% girls; 82.8% Mexican American) and their mothers/mother figures who completed individually administered interviews comprised of standardized measures. Structural equation modeling was used to test several alternative mediational models in which youth ethnic identity and familism values served as potential cultural mechanisms linking parents' familism values to lower levels of youth externalizing behavior. RESULTS: Results showed that mothers' familism values were positively associated with youth ethnic identity which was positively associated with youth familism values; in turn, youth familism values were inversely associated with externalizing behavior. The findings did not differ by youth gender or nativity (U.S.-born vs. foreign-born youth). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide support for cultural resilience perspectives by highlighting the protective role of ethnic identity and familism values among U.S. Latinx adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Relations Among Parenting, Culture, and Prosocial Behaviors in U.S. Mexican Youth: An Integrative Socialization Approach.

We examined the longitudinal relations among parental socialization practices-including acceptance or harsh parenting and ethnic socialization-ethnic identity, familism, and prosocial behaviors in a sample of U.S. Mexican youth. Participants included 462 U.S. Mexican adolescents (Mage at Wave 1 = 10.4 years old; 48.1% female), their mothers, and fathers at the 5th, 7th, 10th, and 12th grades. Results showed that maternal and paternal ethnic socialization predicted several forms of prosocial behaviors via ethnic identity and familism. Fathers', but not mothers', harsh parenting and acceptance had direct links to specific forms of prosocial behaviors. This study suggests the need for culturally informed theories that examine the reciprocal relations between two distinct domains of cultural socialization.

Nativity as a Moderator of Familial and Nonfamilial Correlates of Latino/a Youth Prosocial Behaviors.

Familial and nonfamilial relations play prominent roles in fostering youths' prosocial tendencies. The present study examined the direct and indirect relations among family conflict, parental and peer acceptance, deviant peer affiliation, and prosocial tendencies. Participants included 306 (53.8% female, Mage  = 15.50, SD = .42; range = 14-18) U.S. Latino/a adolescents and their parents (87.9% mothers). The majority of adolescents were born in the United States (N = 206, 68.0%; average time in United States = 10 years) and identified as a Mexican heritage group member (N = 248, 81.0%). Findings differed by nativity as parental acceptance predicted prosocial tendencies for U.S. Latinos/as born outside the United States and peers were significant predictors of prosocial tendencies for U.S.-born Latino/as.

Ethnic socialization, identity, and values associated with U.S. Latino/a young adults' prosocial behaviors.

OBJECTIVES: Given the increasing saliency of Latino/a young adults in the United States, there is a need to consider developmental theories that may better capture the cultural mechanisms by which individuals from this specific ethnic group are socialized to engage in prosocial behaviors. The inclusion of cultural processes (including identity and values) might be particularly important in models that investigate family socialization processes and prosocial behaviors, because scholars have suggested that cultural values may be transmitted via parental practices and beliefs, including ethnic socialization practices. METHOD: Participants included 381 U.S. Latino/a young adults (54.2% female; Mage = 21.99). Young adults completed measures of family ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, and endorsement of familism and respect values. They also completed a multidimensional measure of prosocial behavior, assessing different types and targets of helping. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling was conducted, and there was support for the importance of ethnic identity and cultural values as mechanisms through which ethnic socialization is associated with prosocial behaviors. Gender moderated these relations, such that family respect played a relatively more prominent mediating role for men, whereas familism played a mediating role for both men and women. CONCLUSIONS: The findings emphasize the central role of familial ethnic socialization and cultural processes in fostering prosocial behaviors among U.S. Latino/as but reveal specific patterns of relations based on gender and on target of helping. These findings highlight the need for more research on gender-based and relation-based patterns of prosocial behaviors in U.S. Latinos/a young adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Generalizability of a traditional social cognitive model of prosocial behaviors to U.S. Latino/a youth.

OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that parental and peer support, empathy-related traits, and prosocial moral reasoning would positively predict altruistic prosocial behaviors, and negatively predict selfish-motivated prosocial behaviors, in U.S. Latino youth. METHOD: Three-hundred and 6 U.S. Latina/o adolescents (M age = 15.50 years; SD = .42 years; 46% girls; 81.0% self-identified as U.S. Mexican) from communities in the Northern Great Plains completed measures of parental and peer support, perspective taking and empathic concern, prosocial moral reasoning, and two types of prosocial behaviors. RESULTS: In general, parental support was directly and indirectly related to empathic traits, prosocial moral reasoning, and prosocial behaviors. Peer support was indirectly related to prosocial behaviors via perspective taking, empathic concern, and prosocial moral reasoning. CONCLUSIONS: Discussion focuses on the generalizability of traditional models of moral socialization and prosocial development to U.S. Latina/o youth from communities in the Northern Great Plains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal Relations Among Parenting Styles, Prosocial Behaviors, and Academic Outcomes in U.S. Mexican Adolescents.

This article examined parenting styles and prosocial behaviors as longitudinal predictors of academic outcomes in U.S. Mexican youth. Adolescents (N = 462; Wave 1 Mage  = 10.4 years; 48.1% girls), parents, and teachers completed parenting, prosocial behavior, and academic outcome measures at 5th, 10th, and 12th grades. Authoritative parents were more likely to have youth who exhibited high levels of prosocial behaviors than those who were moderately demanding and less involved. Fathers and mothers who were less involved and mothers who were moderately demanding were less likely than authoritative parents to have youth who exhibited high levels of prosocial behaviors. Prosocial behaviors were positively associated with academic outcomes. Discussion focuses on parenting, prosocial behaviors, and academic attitudes in understanding youth academic performance.

The Roles of Familism and Emotion Reappraisal in the Relations Between Acculturative Stress and Prosocial Behaviors in Latino/a College Students.

Researchers have demonstrated mixed associations between acculturative stress and prosocial behaviors (actions intended to benefit others) among Latino/a adolescents and emerging adults. The current study aimed to examine the relations between acculturative stress and Latino/a young adults' prosocial behaviors via familism values and emotion reappraisal. Participants were 1,527 Latino/a college students (M age = 20.35 years, SD = 3.88; 75.2% women) from universities across the United States. The results demonstrated direct and indirect links between acculturative stress and prosocial behaviors. Specifically, acculturative stress was positively related to familism values, which in turn were positively associated with multiple forms of prosocial behaviors. Additionally, emotion reappraisal was positively associated with specific forms of prosocial behaviors. There was also evidence that familism and emotion reappraisals moderated the associations between acculturative stress and specific forms of prosocial behaviors. Discussion focuses on the interplay of culture-related and emotion-regulation processes associated with Latino/a young adults' positive social outcomes.

Investigadores han demostrado relaciones mixtas entre estrés de aculturación y comportamientos prosociales (acciones que benefician a otros) en adolecentes y adultos jóvenes Latino/as. Esta investigación examino las relaciones entre estrés de aculturación y comportamientos prosociales de parte de valores de la familia y reevaluaciones de emociones. Los sujetos eran 1,527 estudiantes universitarios de patrimonio Latino/a (M edad = 20.35 años, SD = 3.88; 75.2% mujeres) en universidades en los Estados Unidos. Los resultados demostraron asociaciones directas y indirectas entre estrés de aculturación y comportamientos prosociales. Específicamente, estrés de aculturación estaba asociado positivamente con varias formas de comportamientos prosociales. Además, reevaluaciones de emociones estaba relacionado positivamente con especificas formas de comportamientos prosociales. Había también evidencia que valores de la familia y reevaluaciones de emociones moderaron las asociaciones entre estrés de aculturación y especificas formas de comportamientos prosociales. La discusión se enfoca en la interacción de procesos culturales y regulación de emociones asociadas con los éxitos sociales positivos en adultos jóvenes Latino/as.

Longitudinal Associations between Maternal Involvement, Cultural Orientations, and Prosocial Behaviors Among Recent Immigrant Latino Adolescents.

Prosocial behaviors (i.e., actions that benefit others) are important markers of healthy social functioning, and understanding the factors that predict such outcomes among recent immigrant Latino adolescents is important. The current study examines the longitudinal associations between maternal involvement and prosocial behaviors via collectivism values. Data comes from a longitudinal project (Construyendo Oportunidades Para los Adolescentes Latinos) of 302 recently immigrated U.S. Latina/o adolescents (53.3% male, average age = 14.51 years old). The current study uses data from three times points across 2 years. The results demonstrated that maternal involvement was positively associated with collectivism values. Collectivism was positively associated with changes in prosocial behaviors. There was also partial support for a reverse-causal model. Discussion focuses on the links among parenting, cultural values, and prosocial behaviors among immigrant U.S. Latina/o adolescents.

Economic hardship during infancy and U.S. Latino preschoolers' sociobehavioral health and academic readiness.

We tested a culturally integrative model examining the associations among economic hardship during infancy and Latino children's later sociobehavioral problems and academic skills prior to kindergarten entry, whether mothers' mental health problems and positive parenting behaviors mediated those associations, and whether they varied by mothers' acculturation levels. Participants were 714 low-income Latino mothers (M age at enrollment = 24 years; 82% Mexican American; 59% foreign-born) and children (M age at enrollment = 4 months; 53% boys) in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project (EHSREP). Data were gathered across five time points: when the families enrolled in the EHSREP, when the children were 14, 24, and 36 months of age, and just prior to their kindergarten entry. The results revealed an inverse relation between economic hardship during infancy and academic skills prior to kindergarten entry, with the association mediated through maternal mental health problems and positive parenting behaviors. The association between economic hardship and children's sociobehavioral problems via maternal mental health problems and positive parenting behaviors, however, was not statistically significant. Instead, the positive relation between mothers' mental health problems and children's sociobehavioral problems was mediated by maternal positive parenting behaviors. The findings highlight key family processes by which economic hardship in infancy may be associated with Latino preschoolers' academic skills prior to entering school. (PsycINFO Database Record

A Model of Maternal and Paternal Ethnic Socialization of Mexican-American Adolescents' Self-Views.

Data from a sample of 462 Mexican-American adolescents (M = 10.4 years, SD = .55; 48.1% girls), mothers, and fathers were used to test an ethnic socialization model of ethnic identity and self-efficacy that also considered mainstream parenting styles (e.g., authoritative parenting). Findings supported the ethnic socialization model: parents' endorsement of Mexican-American values were associated with ethnic socialization at fifth grade and seventh grade; maternal ethnic socialization at fifth grade and paternal ethnic socialization at seventh grade were associated with adolescents' ethnic identity exploration at 10th grade and, in turn, self-efficacy at 12th grade. The findings support ethnic socialization conceptions of how self-views of ethnicity develop from childhood across adolescence in Mexican-American children.

The Longitudinal Associations Among Temperament, Parenting, and Turkish Children's Prosocial Behaviors.

In Turkey, responsive behaviors toward kin are expected from children. Despite this, we know little about the factors that influence young Turkish children's prosocial behaviors. The goal was to explore how temperament and parenting are related to children's prosocial development in Turkey. A total of 293 Turkish children (Mage  = 49 months; 48.12% females) were followed up for 3 years. Mothers completed measures of their child's prosocial behaviors, as well as measures of their warmth, inductive reasoning, and the child's approach and reactivity. Maternal warmth predicted children's reactivity, and maternal induction predicted children's sociability. Children's reactivity was inversely related to children's helping behavior and sociability was related to more prosocial behavior. Maternal warmth had indirect links with helping through lessening children's reactivity.

Negative emotionality and discipline as long-term predictors of behavioral outcomes in African American and European American children.

The present study examined the early parenting and temperament determinants of children's antisocial and positive behaviors in a low-income, diverse ethno-racial sample. Participants were from the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project, which included 960 European American (initial M age = 15.00 months; 51.2% female) and 880 African American mothers and their children (initial M age = 15.10 months; 49.2% female) followed from 15 months of age to 5th grade. For European American children, findings showed direct and indirect effects (via self-regulation) of early negative emotionality on later behaviors. For African American children, discipline practices in infancy had direct long-term implications for behaviors in 5th grade. Discussion highlights the interplay of parenting, temperament, and culture from infancy to late childhood. (PsycINFO Database Record

The Longitudinal Associations Between Discrimination, Depressive Symptoms, and Prosocial Behaviors in U.S. Latino/a Recent Immigrant Adolescents.

The links between discrimination and adjustment in U.S. Latino/a immigrant adolescents is an important but understudied phenomenon. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations (across 1 year) among discrimination, prosocial behaviors, and depressive symptoms in U.S. Latino immigrant adolescents using two competing models: associations between discrimination and prosocial behaviors via depressive symptoms (mental health strain model), and associations between discrimination and depressive symptoms via prosocial behaviors (prosociality strain model). Participants were 302 Latino/a recent immigrant adolescents (53.3 % boys, M age = 14.51 years at Time 1, SD = .88 years) who completed measures of discrimination, depressive symptoms, and prosocial behaviors at 6-month intervals. The results provided support for both proposed models. The discussion examines the importance of prosocial behaviors in understanding adjustment and effects of discrimination among recently immigrated U.S. Latino adolescents.

Behaving badly or goodly: is it because I feel guilty, shameful, or sympathetic? Or is it a matter of what I think?

The article provides a brief review of theory and research on the roles of guilt, shame, and sympathy in predicting moral behaviors. Two models are presented and contrasted. The guilt-based model proposes that guilt and shame jointly predict prosocial and aggressive behaviors. In contrast, the sympathy-based model suggests that perspective taking and sympathy are linked to such behaviors. In both models, prosocial moral reasoning is proposed as a possible mediator in these relations. Results from a study of college students suggest support for both models. Moreover, there is evidence that prosocial moral reasoning mediates the relations between these moral emotions and moral behaviors. The implications for the need to incorporate moral emotions and cognitions into existing models of morality are discussed and emphasized.