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Brass NR, Hung C, Stephen T, Bergin C, Rose C, Prewett S. Student's and Classmates' Prosocial Behavior predict Academic Engagement in Middle School. J Youth Adolesc 2024:10.1007/s10964-024-02027-1. [PMID: 38864954 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-024-02027-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Students' academic engagement is greatly informed by a classroom's social climate. However, more research is needed regarding how specific peer behavior, especially prosocial behavior, come to shape academic engagement. The present study investigated whether students' perceptions about their classmates' prosocial behavior were associated with their academic engagement (cognitive, behavioral, affective) across the school year. Indirect effects via increases in students' own prosocial behavior were examined. Participants were 905 middle school students from rural, low-income communities in the Midwestern United States (50% girls, 46% boys; Mage = 12.94 years). Students completed self-report surveys in the fall and spring of the 2022-2023 school year. Results revealed that students' perceptions of their classmates' prosocial behavior were positively associated with students' own prosocial behavior. Students' own prosocial behavior was positively associated with all three dimensions of engagement. The positive indirect effect of classmates' prosocial behavior on engagement through students' own prosocial behavior was significant. The findings highlight the importance of classmates' behavior on individuals' academic engagement and offer insights into classroom-based interventions aimed at improving collective behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Chad Rose
- University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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Barbarin OA, Copeland-Linder N, Wagner M. Can you See What We See? African American Parents' Views of the Strengths and Challenges of Children and Youth Living with Adversity. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2024; 25:85-94. [PMID: 36441363 PMCID: PMC11126435 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-022-01469-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A premise of positive youth development is that social competencies can develop in adversity and co-exist with problem behaviors. This research tested whether African American youth ages 9-17 who had experienced significant family stressors would form groups that displayed combinations of adversity, problem behavior, and strengths. Parents of a nationally representative sample of African Americans children were interviewed on child difficulties and strengths as part of the CDC's 2019 National Health Interview Survey. About 15% of the national sample of African American youth had experienced violence or parental incarceration, depression, or drug abuse. Latent class analysis (LCA) using indicators of adversity and strengths identified four distinct classes. Class 1 included youth who experienced multiple adversities, exhibited few strengths, and were high in behavior problems. Members of both classes 2 and 3 were more likely to experience parental incarceration but exhibited altruism. Class 3 also experienced parental mental health problems. Members of class 4 had the highest exposure to violence but were comparatively high in altruism and affability. Regression analysis revealed that the groups differed from one another on emotional health but not on physical health controlling for age and gender. These findings support a focus by mental health prevention programs on building on the strengths of children growing up in adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar A Barbarin
- African-American Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Nikeea Copeland-Linder
- Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael Wagner
- African-American Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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Rahal D, Tashjian SM, Karan M, Eisenberger N, Galván A, Fuligni AJ, Hastings PD, Cole SW. Positive and negative emotion are associated with generalized transcriptional activation in immune cells. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 153:106103. [PMID: 37054596 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in immune system gene expression have been implicated in psychopathology, but it remains unclear whether similar associations occur for intraindividual variations in emotion. The present study examined whether positive emotion and negative emotion were related to expression of pro-inflammatory and antiviral genes in circulating leukocytes from a community sample of 90 adolescents (Mage = 16.3 years, SD = 0.7; 51.1% female). Adolescents reported their positive emotion and negative emotion and provided blood samples twice, five weeks apart. Using a multilevel analytic framework, we found that within-individual increases in positive emotion were associated with reduced expression of both pro-inflammatory and Type I interferon (IFN) response genes, even after adjusting for demographic and biological covariates, and for leukocyte subset abundance. By contrast, increases in negative emotion were related to higher expression of pro-inflammatory and Type I IFN genes. When tested in the same model, only associations with positive emotion emerged as significant, and increases in overall emotional valence were associated with both lower pro-inflammatory and antiviral gene expression. These results are distinct from the previously observed Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity (CTRA) gene regulation pattern characterized by reciprocal changes in pro-inflammatory and antiviral gene expression and may reflect alterations in generalized immunologic activation. These findings highlight one biological pathway by which emotion may potentially impact health and physiological function in the context of the immune system, and future studies can investigate whether fostering positive emotion may promote adolescent health through changes in the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny Rahal
- Edna Bennet Pierce Prevention Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
| | - Sarah M Tashjian
- Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Maira Karan
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Naomi Eisenberger
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Adriana Galván
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Andrew J Fuligni
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Paul D Hastings
- Center for Mind & Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Steve W Cole
- Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Proulx JDE, Van de Vondervoort JW, Hamlin JK, Helliwell JF, Aknin LB. Are Real-World Prosociality Programs Associated with Greater Psychological Well-Being in Primary School-Aged Children? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:4403. [PMID: 36901411 PMCID: PMC10002419 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Quality education can build a sustainable, happier world, but what experiences support student well-being? Numerous laboratory studies suggest that prosocial behavior predicts greater psychological well-being. However, relatively little work has examined whether real-world prosociality programs are associated with greater well-being in primary school-aged children (aged 5-12). In Study 1, we surveyed 24/25 students who completed their 6th Grade curriculum in a long-term care home alongside residents called "Elders," which offered numerous opportunities for planned and spontaneous helping. We found that the meaning that students derived from their prosocial interactions with the Elders was strongly associated with greater psychological well-being. In Study 2, we conducted a pre-registered field experiment with 238 primary school-aged children randomly assigned to package essential items for children who experience homelessness and/or poverty who were either demographically similar or dissimilar in age and/or gender to them as part of a classroom outing. Children self-reported their happiness both pre- and post-intervention. While happiness increased from pre- to post-intervention, this change did not differ for children who helped a similar or dissimilar recipient. These studies offer real-world evidence consistent with the possibility that engaging in prosocial classroom activities-over an afternoon or year-is associated with greater psychological well-being in primary school-aged children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D. E. Proulx
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | | | - J. Kiley Hamlin
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John F. Helliwell
- Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1L4, Canada
| | - Lara B. Aknin
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
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Xie Z, Wu J, Wang X, Zheng Z, Liu C. Dissociating the Multiple Psychological Processes in Everyday Moral Decision-Making with the CAN Algorithm. Behav Sci (Basel) 2022; 12:bs12120501. [PMID: 36546985 PMCID: PMC9774618 DOI: 10.3390/bs12120501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In previous research frameworks, researchers used an everyday dilemma to test people's altruistic versus egoistic inclination. However, there are at least three different psychological processes that could induce altruistic over egoistic decisions, i.e., stronger altruistic sensitivity, weaker egoistic sensitivity, and stronger overall action versus inaction preference. To dissociate these different psychological processes, we developed new materials and applied the CAN algorithm from traditional moral dilemma research in two studies. In Study 1, we designed scenarios varying with a 2 (egoistic/non-egoistic) × 2 (non-altruistic/altruistic) structure. Then, we recruited 209 participants to validate the scenarios and filtered six scene frameworks with 24 scenarios in total. In Study 2, we recruited 747 participants to judge whether they would conduct behavior that is simultaneously altruistic (or non-altruistic) and egoistic (or non-egoistic) in the filtered scenarios obtained from Study 1. They also filled in the Social Isolation Scale, Distress Disclosure Scale, and some other demographic information. As we dissociated the psychological processes using the CAN algorithm, significant correlations between social isolation and distress disclosure and three parameters (i.e., altruistic tendency, egoistic tendency, and overall action/inaction preference) underlying the altruistic choice were revealed to varying degrees. Other individual differences in the psychological processes in everyday moral decision-making were further demonstrated. Our study provided materials and methodological protocols to dissociate the multiple psychological processes in everyday moral decision-making. It promotes our insights on everyday moral decisions from a differential psychological processes perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongju Xie
- Department of Sociology and Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Junhong Wu
- Department of Sociology and Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Xingyuan Wang
- Department of Sociology and Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Ziyi Zheng
- School of Economics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Chuanjun Liu
- Department of Sociology and Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
- Institute of Psychology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
- Correspondence:
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The longitudinal reciprocal relations among friendship quality, positivity and prosocial behavior in chinese early adolescents. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03743-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Prosocial Behavior and Aggression in the Daily School Lives of Early Adolescents. J Youth Adolesc 2022; 51:1636-1652. [PMID: 35478303 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-022-01616-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Research has not adequately addressed a possible mutual co-regulatory influence of prosocial and aggressive behaviors in adolescents' daily lives. This study explored bidirectional within-person associations between prosocial and aggressive behaviors in the daily school lives of early adolescents. The sample included 242 sixth-graders [Mage = 11.96 (SD = 0.18), 50% girls] and their teachers. Adolescents reported on daily prosocial behavior and reactive and proactive aggression for ten consecutive days. Teachers and adolescents reported on adolescents' overall prosocial behaviors. Across-day prosocial behaviors increased after days when adolescents exhibited more reactive aggression but not among self-reported low-prosocial adolescents. Increased prosocial behaviors did not mitigate aggression the next day. The findings suggest prosocial behaviors are a plausible compensatory strategy after daily aggressive reactions.
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Coulombe BR, Yates TM. Maternal caregiving, prosocial behavior, and self‐esteem in middle childhood. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/sode.12576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tuppett M. Yates
- Department of Psychology University of California Riverside United States
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Resting parasympathetic nervous system activity is associated with greater antiviral gene expression. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 98:310-316. [PMID: 34461235 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.08.229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasympathetic nervous system activity can downregulate inflammation, but it remains unclear how parasympathetic nervous system activity relates to antiviral activity. The present study examined associations between parasympathetic nervous system activity and cellular antiviral gene regulation in 90 adolescents (Mage = 16.28, SD = 0.73; 51.1% female) who provided blood samples and measures of cardiac respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), twice, five weeks apart. Using a multilevel analytic framework, we found that higher RSA (an indicator of higher parasympathetic nervous system activity)-both at rest and during paced breathing-was associated with higher expression of Type I interferon (IFN) response genes in circulating leukocytes, even after adjusting for demographic and biological covariates. RSA was not associated with a parallel measure of inflammatory gene expression. These results identify a previously unrecognized immunoregulatory aspect of autonomic nervous system function and highlight a potential biological pathway by which parasympathetic nervous system activity may relate to health.
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