The reciprocal relations among prosocial behavior, satisfaction of relatedness needs at school, and subjective well-being in school: A three-wave cross-lagged study among Chinese elementary school students

The effectiveness of a positive psychological intervention for promoting preschool teachers' well-being and professional competence: EASP intervention program

The present study investigated the effectiveness of the Early Advancement in Social-Emotional Health and Positivity (EASP) program, a positive psychological intervention promoting preschool teachers' well-being and the motivational aspect of professional competence. Participants were 273 in-service preschool teachers (Mage = 34.56 years, SD = 9.52, range = 22-58; female = 98.90%) who participated in a 2-month randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 143) receiving 1) four online workshops, 2) a smartphone app, and 3) an online activity, or to the wait-list control group (n = 130), which received the intervention materials after all the data collection. Participants reported their well-being dimensions, teaching self-efficacy, and autonomous motivation for teaching before and after the intervention. Results from a path analytic model exhibited excellent fit with the data, χ2 = 37.62, df = 33, CFI = .99, TLI = .98, RMSEA = .02 [90% CI = 0.00, 0.05], SRMR = .02. The intervention had direct effects on changes in well-being dimensions, including positivity, outcome, strength, engagement, and resilience (β = .14 to .26, ps = .00 to .04), and indirect intervention effects on changes in teaching self-efficacy and autonomous motivation for teaching (β = .14 to .15, ps = .00 to .01). These findings highlighted the potential value of implementing positive psychological interventions in educational settings to promote the well-being and professional competence among preschool teachers.

Does Being Prosocial Pay Off? Testing Positive Developmental Cascades of Prosocial Behavior, Social Preference, and Subjective Well-Being in Chinese Adolescents

Positive aspects of adolescent development recently have raised researchers' interests; however, studies examining reciprocal links between prosocial behavior, social preference, and subjective well-being are lacking. The present longitudinal study investigated the bidirectional relations between prosocial behavior, social preference, and subjective well-being within a theoretical framework of the developmental cascade model. A total of 1248 Chinese adolescents (M = 13.44, SD = 0.65; 47.0% girls) were surveyed across three waves with 6-month intervals. The results of analyses utilizing the random-intercept cross-lagged panel model demonstrated that prosocial behavior was positively associated with both social preference and subjective well-being, and social preference was not associated with subjective well-being at the between-person level. At the within-person level, prosocial behavior was positively reciprocally associated with social preference, while no significant relations between prosocial behavior and subjective well-being and between social preference and subjective well-being were found. The findings highlight adolescents' prosocial behavior and social preference could mutually facilitate each other over time, which can be used to guide adolescents' positive development.

Are Real-World Prosociality Programs Associated with Greater Psychological Well-Being in Primary School-Aged Children?

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.

The influence of students' sense of social connectedness on prosocial behavior in higher education institutions in Guangxi, China: A perspective of perceived teachers' character teaching behavior and social support

The objective of this study is to examine the sense of social connectedness (SSC) and prosocial behavior (PB) of students in Guangxi higher education institutions in China and to further understand the factors influencing PB of higher education students. In this study, a total of 1,007 students were sampled from 8 Guangxi higher vocational schools through purposive sampling using questionnaires, of which 676 (67.1%) were male students and 331 (32.9%) were female students. This study further enriches self-determination theory by exploring the effects of teachers' character teaching behaviors and social support on PB, using the SSC as an intrinsic motivation. In addition, the results of the study revealed that SSC, perceived teacher character teaching behaviors and perceived social support (PSS) were positively related to students' PB. SSC affects PB not only directly, but also indirectly through the mediating role of perceived teacher character teaching behavior and perceived teacher support. Teacher character teaching behaviors and PSS also play a chain mediating role in the relationship between SSC and PB. Finally, this study provides strategies to optimize school character management for higher education students in order to meet their basic psychological needs and thus promote the production of PB.

Perceived Collective School Efficacy Mediates the Organizational Justice Effect in Teachers' Subjective Well-Being

Trust and team communication are central aspects for the achievement of both individual and common goals, which affect not only work efficiency but also the well-being of its members. In addition, organizational justice could affect these indicators, as well as the perception of collective efficacy within organizations, in this case, schools. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of organizational justice on teachers' subjective well-being, and how this is affected/mediated by collective efficacy. We worked with a sample of 693 teachers across Chile. Multiple mediation analysis was carried out, where the latent variables of the study were estimated (subjective well-being, organizational justice, and two dimensions of collective efficacy). The results indicate that there is full mediation of the collective efficacy dimensions between the predictor-criterion relationship. Our findings allow us to hypothesize that perceptions of collective efficacy are central to explaining well-being as an intrinsic factor.

Effect of mass sports activity on prosocial behavior: A sequential mediation model of flow trait and subjective wellbeing

Objectives

Participation in mass sports is one of the most efficient strategies for people to attain physical and mental health in China. Prosocial behavior has a positive effect on social development. This study developed a conceptual model with mass sports activity as the independent variable, prosocial behavior as the dependent variable, and flow trait and subjective wellbeing as the mediating variables.

Methods

Participants (N = 351) completed an online survey. Mass sports activity, flow trait, subjective wellbeing, and prosocial behavior were measured using the physical activity rank scale-3 (PARS-3), short dispositional flow scale (SDFS), index of wellbeing (IWB), and prosocial tendencies measure (PTM), respectively. Descriptive statistics compared differences between sports population (PARS-3, ≥ 36) and non-sports population (PARS-3, <36). Mediation effect was analyzed using the PROCESS (Template, Model 6).

Results

Sports population scored significantly higher (all P ≤ 0.05) on SDFS, IWB, and PTM than non-sports population. Participation in mass sports stimulated flow trait and thus improved prosocial behavior, with a mediation effect value of 0.061 (95% CI, 0.028–0.104), which accounted for 30.18% of the total effect. Participation in mass sports enhanced subjective wellbeing and thus improved prosocial behavior, with a mediation effect value of 0.044 (95% CI, 0.007–0.090), which accounted for 21.96% of the total effect. Flow trait and subjective wellbeing mediated the relationship between mass sports activity and prosocial behavior in a sequential manner, with a mediation effect value of 0.059 (95% CI, 0.035–0.090), which accounted for 29.23% of the total effect.

Conclusion

The preliminary results of the mediation model validated the hypothesized sequential links between mass sports activity, flow trait, subjective wellbeing, and prosocial behavior. Greater participation in mass sports increases the likelihood of prosocial behavior.

Does Self-Control Promote Prosocial Behavior? Evidence from a Longitudinal Tracking Study

Although numerous researches have shown that self-control is a significant promoter of prosocial behavior, the mechanism behind this relationship is still unclear. According to the organism–environment interaction model and self-control model, this study researched whether life satisfaction played a mediating role between self-control and adolescents’ prosocial behavior and if friendship quality played a moderating role between self-control and prosocial behavior. This study used a longitudinal tracking research (T1&T2; and the interval between T1&T2 is 6 months). A total of 1182 Chinese middle school students participated the survey. They were between 12 and 15 years old (average age: 14.16 years old, SD = 1.29). Results indicated that life satisfaction played a mediating role between self-control and adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Furthermore, this direct relationship in the link between self-control and prosocial behavior was significant when adolescents had a good-quality friendship. These results highlight that life satisfaction plays an important role in the relationship between self-control and prosocial behavior. The present study further determined that a high-quality friendship was an important factor that amplified this direct effect.

Gratitude, relatedness needs satisfaction, and negative psychological outcomes during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A short‐term longitudinal study

Objectives

Although gratitude relates to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) well‐being outcomes in the United States, more evidence is needed to understand how this psychological strength reciprocally relates to mental health during this pandemic. This study examines the association of gratitude with stress, anxiety, and depression among undergraduate students in the United States via a longitudinal design.

Methods

An online survey was administered to 643 undergraduate students in a public university located in the southeastern region of the United States. There was a 1‐month interval between the first and second waves of data collection.

Results

Cross‐lagged panel structural equation modeling showed that whereas gratitude positively predicted subsequent relatedness needs satisfaction, it negatively predicted later stress, anxiety, and depression. Relatedness needs satisfaction was reciprocally linked to subsequent gratitude.

Conclusion

Results suggest that gratitude might serve as a protective psychological resource against the detrimental mental health impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Prosocial Behavior and Aggression in the Daily School Lives of Early Adolescents

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 [M_age = 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.

Flourishing Scale: Adaptation and Evidence of Validity in a Chilean High School Context

This study aimed to adapt the Flourishing Scale to a Chilean high school context and provide evidence of its validity. Data were collected from 1,348 students (52% girls) from three different Chilean schools. The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported a one–factor solution, multiple–group CFA supported gender invariance, and structural equation model indicated that the FS is related to positive and negative academic feelings. Overall, the evidence indicates that the Flourishing Scale adapted to the high school context is an instrument that produces valid and reliable scores in our high school Chilean sample.

Effect of Different Types of Empathy on Prosocial Behavior: Gratitude as Mediator

With the development of positive psychology, prosocial behavior has received widespread attention from researchers. Some studies have shown that emotion has a significant influence on individual prosocial behavior, but little research has studied the effect of different types of empathy on college students’ prosocial behaviors. The current study examined the mediating effects of gratitude among the associations between different types of empathy (perspective-taking, fantasy, empathic concern, and personal distress) and prosocial behavior among Chinese college students. For the study, we used the Prosocial Tendency Measurement questionnaire, the Hebrew version of Interpersonal Reactivity Index-C, and The Gratitude Questionnaire that investigated 1,037 participants. The results indicated that gratitude played a mediating role between perspective-taking and prosocial behavior, fantasy and prosocial behavior, empathic concern and prosocial behavior, and personal distress and prosocial behavior, respectively. The current study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between empathy and prosocial behavior.

Health-related quality of life, motivational regulation and Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education Outside the Classroom: an explorative longitudinal pilot study

BACKGROUND

Given a suboptimal state of mental health among children, an urgent need exists to seek approaches related to health promotion in this population's settings, such as in schools. Increased health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and improved school motivation could be crucial for children's mental health. Based on self-determination theory, paths can be identified that could lead to such improvements by strengthening the basic psychological needs (BPN). This study aimed to examine the impact on and the relationships among HRQoL, school motivation and BPN within the promising concept of education outside the classroom (EOtC).

METHODS

In this exploratory study, we employed a between-subjects cohort study design with no blinding or randomisation. We surveyed fifth graders (mean = 10.1 years) attending EOtC (experimental group [EG], n = 25) and normal indoor lessons (control group, [CG], n = 41) at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of a semester. We used the translations of validated questionnaires and established linear mixed-effects models to evaluate whether the students in EOtC show higher scores of HRQoL and school motivation and, whether the satisfaction of BPN of autonomy (PAut), competence (PCom), social relatedness with classmates (PSRC) and teachers (PSRT) show associations with these outcomes.

RESULTS

Regarding intrinsic and identified motivational regulation, results showed significant increases over time in the overall sample and significant higher scores in the EG than in the CG. For HRQoL, no group differences were found, but a significant decrease over time in the EG. Regarding possible associations between the outcomes and BPN, such could only be found between HRQoL and PSRC, but not for the other BPN and not for motivational regulation and BPN.

CONCLUSIONS

Without having been able to explain this on the basis of increased BPN values, our results show that EOtC can support improvements in specific regulation types of school motivation. This could contribute to an improvement in the mental health situation in children, as school represents a major stressor for them. Future steps in terms of researching HRQoL in this setting are discussed, as this pilot study does preliminary work for necessary examinations, e.g. in structural equation approaches.

A Bifactor Model of Subjective Well-Being at Personal, Community, and Country Levels: A Case With Three Latin-American Countries

Improving citizens' subjective well-being (SWB) has become an increasingly visible policy goal across industrialized countries. Although an increasing number of studies have investigated SWB at the individual level, little is known about subjective evaluation at social levels, such as the community and national levels. While the relationships between these levels have been analyzed in previous research, these assessments, which are part of the same unique construct of SWB, are under-investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensionality and reliability of a single measure of SWB, which contained individual, community, and national levels across three Latin-American countries (Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela), using a bifactor model analysis. Findings showed that the bifactor model exhibited a good fit to the data for the three countries. However, invariance testing between countries was not fully supported because of each item's specific contribution to both specific and general constructs. The analyses of each country showed that the SWB construct was in a gray area between unidimensionality and multidimensionality; some factors contributed more to the general factor and others to the specific level, depending on the country. These findings call for integrating more distant levels (community and country levels) into the understanding of SWB at the individual level, as they contribute not only to an overall construct, but they make unique contributions to SWB, which must be considered in public policy making.

School Satisfaction in Immigrant and Chilean Students: The Role of Prejudice and Cultural Self-Efficacy

Latin-American immigration has transformed Chilean schools into new multicultural scenarios. Studies about intergroup dynamics among students from different cultural backgrounds and their psychological consequences are still limited in south–south migration contexts. Literature has suggested that intergroup relations influence students’ satisfaction with school, and they could be improved by the development of competences to cope with cultural differences. This study aims to verify if cultural self-efficacy and its dimensions mediated the influence of prejudice on satisfaction with school, in a sample composed by N = 690 Chilean and Latin-American immigrant secondary students. Results showed that cultural self-efficacy reduced the effect of prejudice in satisfaction with school, in the cases of both immigrant and Chilean students. The dimensions of cultural self-efficacy in processing information from other cultures and mixing with different others make the difference. Findings’ contributions for the understanding of adolescents’ intergroup relations and psychosocial interventions at school are discussed.

Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial that Altruism Moderates the Effect of Prosocial Acts on Adolescent Well-being

Despite growing public and scientific interest in the positive benefits of prosociality, there has been little research on the causal effects of performing kind acts for others on psychological well-being during adolescence. Developmental changes during adolescence, such as greater perspective taking, can promote prosociality. It was hypothesized that performing kind acts for others would improve adolescent well-being (positive and negative affect, perceived stress) and increase prosocial giving. As part of a randomized controlled trial, 97 adolescents (M_age= 16.224, SD = 0.816, range 14-17; 53.608% female) were assigned to either perform kind acts for others (Kindness to Others, N = 33), perform kind acts for themselves (Kindness to Self, N = 34), or report on daily activities (Daily Report, N = 30) three times per week for four weeks. Well-being factors were measured weekly and giving was tested post-intervention. Overall, changes over time in well-being did not differ across conditions. However, altruism emerged as a significant moderator such that altruistic adolescents in the Kindness to Others condition showed increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and decreased stress. Increased positive affect was also linked to greater prosocial giving for Kindness to Others adolescents. These findings identify individual differences that may shape the effects of doing kind acts for others on well-being during adolescence.

Development and Validation of Two Questionnaires to Study the Perception of Conflict in Physical Education

Improving the quality of teaching and learning, as well as school coexistence are international priorities for the new educational challenges of the 21st century (UNESCO 37 C/4 resolution). Physical Education (PE) has become a key subject for education on school coexistence by enabling significant motor experiences to promote interpersonal relationships and transform motor conflicts (MC). The objective of this research was to develop and validate two questionnaires (CONFLICT1-AGE and CONFLICT1-RES) to study secondary school students’ perception about MC in PE. Study 1 searched for evidence related to their content validity and response process validity, and Study 2 examined internal structure, reliability, and concurrent validity. As a result, a seven-item single-factor model was selected for CONFLICT1-AGE, and a five-item single-factor structure was chosen for CONFLICT1-RES. Both models exhibited an excellent fit to the data, where CONFLICT1-AGE: χ² (df) = 18.621 (14), p = 0.180, RMSEA (90% CI) = 0.033 0(0.000–0.069), CFI = 0.994, TLI = 0.991; CONFLICT1-RES: χ² (df) = 13.350 (5), p = 0.020, RMSEA (90% CI) = 0.075 (0.027–0.125), CFI = 0.986, TLI = 0.972. Furthermore, both questionnaires presented satisfactory internal consistency (α_{CONFLICT1-AGE} = 0.745, α_{CONFLICT1-RES} = 0.737). Their combination will provide a wide view of secondary school students’ perception about MC.

Validation and Adaptation of the Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale to the Spanish context of Physical Education

Physical education (PE), by its own characteristics, is a subject where social communication is especially promoted. However, it is necessary to have tools that evaluate the social behaviour of students during PE classes. For this reason, we propose to validate and adapt the Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale to the Spanish context of PE classes. The study involved 1081 students aged 12 to 18 (M = 14.83; SD = 1.27). The psychometric properties of the Prosocial Behavior Scale were analyzed through several statistical analyses. The results of the confirmatory factorial analysis and the exploratory factorial analysis supported the internal structure of the questionnaire. In addition, the scale was invariant to gender. Cronbach's alpha values were higher than 0.70 in the factors and sub-factors, finally showing adequate levels of temporal stability. Taking into account the results achieved in the present study, PE teachers have an effective tool to assess the social and antisocial behaviour of their students' students during PE classes.