Peer support and prosocial behavior among adolescents from low-income families: A moderated mediation model

ABSTRACT

Although peer support is documented as a predictor of adolescents’ prosocial behavior, the influencing mechanism of peer support on prosocial behavior among adolescents from low-income families has not been fully researched. The current research conducted two studies to examine the influencing mechanism of peer support on prosocial behavior among adolescents from low-income families. Study 1 (N = 579) investigated the influencing mechanism of peer support on prosocial behavior with a longitudinal dataset. Study 2 (N = 228) investigated the effect of peer support priming on money donation with an experimental approach. The results of Study 1 and Study 2 consistently demonstrated that communal social goals mediated the association between peer support and prosocial behavior among adolescents from low-income families, and cumulative family risk moderated this indirect link. The positive effect of peer support on prosocial behavior through communal social goals might be weakened if adolescents experience more risk factors in the family context.

KEYWORDS:

• Peer support
• prosocial behavior
• communal social goals
• cumulative family risk
• adolescents from low-income families

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The National Social Science Fund of China [21CSH089].

Notes on contributors

Zhuojun Yao

Zhuojun Yao is an assistant professor in the School of Education, Soochow University. Yao’s research interests focus on the development of prosocial cognition, prosocial emotion, and prosocial behavior.

Yaodi Li

Yaodi Li is an associate professor in the Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Management, Hubei University of Technology. Her research interests focus on positive youth development and social adjustment of college students.