Abstract
The nurturing of offspring within divorced families has consistently been a matter of concern. Parental divorce is a pivotal environmental determinant influencing the progression of adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Apart from the family, school serves as another significant sphere for adolescents, hence, school acceptance and support might also bear a substantial impact on shaping adolescents’ prosocial behavior. This investigation undertook a comprehensive longitudinal survey to elucidate the correlation between parental divorce and prosocial behavior in adolescents, subsequently exploring the moderating role of school acceptance and support on the connection between parental divorce and prosocial behavior. A collective sample of 1,655 and 1,322 Chinese adolescents partook in this study during the first year (Term 1 - T1) and the subsequent year (Term 2 - T2), respectively. The findings demonstrated that parental divorce was negatively correlated with prosocial behavior in adolescents, both concurrently and longitudinally. Additionally, school acceptance and support altered the relationship between parental divorce and prosocial behavior. Specifically, school acceptance and support could ameliorate the detrimental effect of parental divorce on prosocial behavior in adolescents. This study provides a unique perspective which may be beneficial in fostering adolescents’ prosocial behavior in divorced households.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alan, S., Baysan, C., Gumren, M., & Kubilay, E. (2021). Building social cohesion in ethnically mixed schools: An intervention on perspective taking. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 136(4), 2147–2194. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjab009
Asanjarani, F., Gao, M. M., de Silva, A., & Cummings, E. M. (2022). Exploring the link between interparental conflict and adolescents’ adjustment in divorced and intact Iranian families. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 31(6), 1596–1606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02163-3
Bandy, R., & Ottoni-Wilhelm, M. (2012). Family structure and income during the stages of childhood and subsequent prosocial behavior in young adulthood. Journal of Adolescence, 35(4), 1023–1034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.02.010
Brody, G. H., Yu, T., Nusslock, R., Barton, A. W., Miller, G. E., Chen, E., & Sweet, L. H. (2019). The protective effects of supportive parenting on the relationship between adolescent poverty and resting-state functional brain connectivity during adulthood. Psychological Science, 30(7), 1040–1049. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619847989
Brook, J. S., Brook, D. W., Balka, E. B., & Rosenberg, G. (2006). Predictors of rebellious behavior in childhood: Parental drug use, peers, school environment, and child personality. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 25(2), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1300/J069v25n02_11
Chen, X., Tian, L., & Huebner, E. S. (2020). Bidirectional relations between subjective well-being in school and prosocial behavior among elementary school-aged children: A longitudinal study. Child & Youth Care Forum, 49(1), 77–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-019-09518-4
Craggs, H., & Kelly, C. (2018). School belonging: Listening to the voices of secondary school students who have undergone managed moves. School Psychology International, 39(1), 56–73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034317741936
Davies, P. T., & Cummings, E. M. (1994). Marital conflict and child adjustment: An emotional security hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 116(3), 387. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2004.00272.x
Eisenberg, N. (2002). Distinctions among various modes of empathy-related reactions: A matter of importance in humans. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 25(1), 33–34. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X02350015
Eisenberg, N., & Miller, P. A. (1987). The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors. Psychological Bulletin, 101(1), 91. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.101.1.91
Fabes, R. A., & Eisenberg, N. (1998). Meta-analyses of age and sex differences in children’s and adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Handbook of Child Psychology, 3, 1–29.
Farghadani, A., Navabinejad, S., & Shafiabady, A. (2010). Designing a model based on mindfulness, nonexistential resistance to life and sociability focusing on search for meaning in life in divorced women. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 5, 1650–1664. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. sbspro.2010.07.341.
Fergusson, D. M., Wanner, B., Vitaro, F., Horwood, L. J., & Swain-Campbell, N. (2003). Deviant peer affiliations and depression: Confounding or causation? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 31(6), 605–618. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1026258106540
Furstenberg, F. F., & Kiernan, K. E. (2001). Delayed parental divorce: How much do children benefit? Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(2), 446–457. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.00446.x
Goodman, & Robert (1997). The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: a research note. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines, 38(5), 581–586. https://doi.org/10.1111/j. 1469–7610. 1997. tb01545.x.
Graupensperger, S. A., Jensen, C. J., & Evans, M. B. (2018). A meta-analytic review of studies using the Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale: Associations among intergroup moral behaviors. Sport Exercise and Performance Psychology, 7(2), 186–204. https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000121
Guo, X. (2019). Where my heart is at peace where myself is at home: A qualitative research of emotional adaptation of ethnic high school students in the hinterland. Journal of Research on Education for Ethnic Minorities, 30(1), 107–114. https://doi.org/CNKI:SUN:MZJY.0.2019-01-014.
Guo, Q., Zhou, J., & Feng, L. (2018). Pro-social behavior is predictive of academic success via peer acceptance: A study of Chinese primary school children. Learning and Individual Differences, 65, 187–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.05.010
Gustems-Carnicer, J., Calderon, C., Batalla-Flores, A., & Esteban-Bara, F. (2019). Role of coping responses in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being in a sample of Spanish educational teacher students. Psychological Reports, 122(2), 380–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294118758904
Harris, S. G., & Mossholder, K. W. (1996). The affective implications of perceived congruence with culture dimensions during organizational transformation. Journal of Management, 22(4), 527–547. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-2063(96)90023-9
Hoffman, M. L. (2001). Empathy and moral development: Implications for caring and justice. Contemporary Sociology, 30(5), 487–488. https://doi.org/10.2307/3089337
Kou, J., Du, S., & Xia, L. (2007). Formulation of children strengths and difficulties questionnaire (the edition for students) for shanghai norm. China Journal of Health Psychology, 15(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1005-1252.2007.01.035
Li, H., Song, Y., & Xie, X. (2020). Altruistic or selfish? Responses when safety is threatened depend on childhood socioeconomic status. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(5), 1001–1016.
Lockwood, P. L., Seara-Cardoso, A., Viding, E., & Perc, M. (2014). Emotion regulation moderates the association between empathy and prosocial behavior. Plos One, 9(5), 96555. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096555
Luckner, A. E., & Pianta, R. C. (2011). Teacher–student interactions in fifth grade classrooms: Relations with children’s peer behavior. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 32(5), 257–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2011.02.010
Luengo Kanacri, B. P., Eisenberg, N., Thartori, E., Pastorelli, C., Tirado, U., Gerbino, L. M., M., & Caprara, G. V. (2017). Longitudinal relations among positivity, perceived positive school climate, and prosocial behavior in Colombian adolescents. Child Development, 88(4), 1100–1114. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12863
Mclanahan, S. S., & Sandefur, G. G. (1994). Growing up with a single parent: What hurts, what helps. Family Relations, 45(2), 204. https://doi.org/10.2307/585308
Meade, A. W., Johnson, E. C., & Braddy, P. W. (2008). Power and sensitivity of alternative fit indices in tests of measurement invariance. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings, 93(3), 568–592. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.3.568
Mestre, V., Samper, P., Nácher, M. J., Tur, A., & MT Cortés. (2006). Psychological processes and family variables as prosocial behavior predictors in a sample of Spanish adolescents. Psychological Reports, 98(1), 30–36. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.98.1.30-36
Newcomb, M. D., Huba, G. J., & Bentler, P. M. (1981). A multidimensional assessment of stressful life events among adolescents: Derivation and correlates. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22(4), 400–415. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136681
Pearlin, L. I., Lieberman, M. A., Menaghan, E. G., & Mullan, J. T. (1982). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22(4), 337–356. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136676
Penner., L. A., Dovidio., J. F., Piliavin., J. A., & Schroeder, D. A. (2005). Prosocial behavior: Multilevel perspectives. Annual Review of Psychology, 56(1), 365–392. https://doi.org/10.1146/ANNUREV.PSYCH.56.091103.070141
Schneider, C. R., & Weber, E. U. (2022). Motivating prosocial behavior by leveraging positive self-regard through values affirmation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 52(2), 106–114. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12841
Schudlich, T., & Cummings, E. M. (2003). Parental dysphoria and children’s internalizing symptoms: Marital conflict styles as mediators of risk. Child Development, 74(6), 1663–1681. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1467-8624.2003.00630.x
Schweizer, K. (2010). Some guidelines concerning the modeling of traits and abilities in Test Construction. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 26(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000001
Shah, S., Choi, M., Miller, M., Halgunseth, L. C., van Schaik, S. D., & Brenick, A. (2021). Family cohesion and school belongingness: Protective factors for immigrant youth against bias-based bullying. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2021(177), 199–217. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20410
Simons, L. G., Burt, C. H., & Tambling, R. B. (2013). Identifying mediators of the influence of family factors on risky sexual behavior. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22(4), 460–470. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9598-9
Smith, E. P., Boutte, G. S., Zigler, E. D., & Finn-Stevenson, M. (2004). Opportunities for schools to promote resilience in children and youth. Investing in children, youth, families and communities, 213–233. https://doi.org/10.1037/10660-012
Stringfellow, F. T. (2010). Parents’ divorce is more strongly related to the self-perceived promiscuity and drinking behavior of male than of female college students. Journal of College Student Development, 51(5), 599–600. https://doi.org/10.1353/CSD.2010.0002
Wang, M. T., Degol, J. L., Amemiya, J., Parr, A., & Guo, J. (2020). Classroom climate and children’s academic and psychological wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Developmental Review, 57, 100912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2020.100912
Webster-Stratton, C., & Reid, M. J. (2004). Strengthening social and emotional competence in young children—the foundation for early school readiness and success: Incredible years classroom social skills and problem-solving curriculum. Infants & Young Children, 17(2), 96–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/hup.578
Whiting, B., & Edwards, C. P. (1973). A cross-cultural analysis of sex differences in the behavior of children aged three through 11. The Journal of Social Psychology, 91(2), 171–188.
Wilson, H. K., Pianta, R. C., & Stuhlman, M. (2007). Typical classroom experiences in first grade: The role of classroom climate and functional risk in the development of social competencies. The Elementary School Journal, 108(2), 81–96. https://doi.org/10.1086/525548
Xin, X., & Yao, S. (2015). Validity and reliability of the adolescent self-rating life events checklist in middle school students. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 29(5), 6. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn
Ye, B., Zhu, X., Fang, S., & Ren, L. (2015). Parents’ marital conflict on children’s psychological research on the effects of social adaptation. Journal of International Psychiatry, 42(5), 36–39. https://doi.org/CNKI: SUN: GWYJ.0.2015-05-012.
Zhang, Q., & Kou, Y. (2012). Self-enhancement oriented prosocial behaviors: Behavioral pathways based on agency and communion. Journal of Beijing Normal University (Social Sciences), 1(1), 51–57. https://doi.org/CNKI: SUN: BJSF.0.2012-01-011.
Zhang, X., & Liu, C. (2017). The watching eyes effect on prosociality. Advances in Psychological Science, 25(3), 475–485. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2017.00475
Zhou, C., Tao, S., Liu, H., Wang, C., Qi, X., & Dong, Q. (2016). The role of collective perception of school psychological environment in grades 4–6 students’ academic achievement. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 48(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1041.2016.0018
Funding
This study was funded by Major Humanities and Social Sciences Research Projects in Zhejiang higher education institutions (grant number 2023QN007).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Compliance with Ethical Standards
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Written consent was obtained from each participant after a full explanation of the study procedure. Parents/guardians of participants aged below 18 years old were informed, and their consents were obtained.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, X., Wang, C., Wang, D. et al. School Acceptance and Support Moderate the Relationship Between Parental Divorce and Adolescents’ Prosocial Behavior: A Longitudinal Study. Applied Research Quality Life (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-024-10275-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-024-10275-3