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Linking Self-Compassion and Prosocial Behavior in Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Relatedness and Trust

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Ying Yang at East China Normal University
Ying Yang
Zhen Guo at Nanjing Normal University
Zhen Guo
Yu Kou at Beijing Normal University
Yu Kou
Ben Liu
Ben Liu
Ben Liu
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Abstract and Figures

Self-compassion involves treating oneself with kindness rather than harsh judgement, viewing imperfection as an inherent part of shared human experience rather than seeing them as isolating, and being mindful of painful feelings rather than over-identifying with them. Abundant evidence has identified the adaptive role of self-compassion on multiple intrapersonal outcomes, such as mental health, emotional well-being and improvement motivation. However, relatively few is known about self-compassion’s interpersonal/social benefits, especially in adolescents. The present study examined the relationships between self-compassion, satisfaction of relatedness, general trust, and prosocial behavior in a relatively large Chinese high school adolescent sample (N = 3238, 47.8% boys; Mage = 15.66 years, SD = 0.80). We observed that self-compassion was positively associated with adolescents’ prosocial behavior, and that relatedness and trust mediated the positive association. Moreover, we found that boys maintained a slightly higher level of self-compassion than girls, and multi-group analysis showed that the relationship between self-compassion and trust was also slightly greater in boys than girls. The present study sheds light on how self-compassion is associated with positive social behavior in adolescents. We suggest that self-compassion intervention could be adapted and implemented during this critical developmental period. More research is encouraged to further discover the adaptive functions of self-compassion in social context.
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Linking Self-Compassion and Prosocial Behavior
in Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Relatedness
and Trust
Ying Yang
1
&Zhen Guo
2
&Yu Kou
2
&Ben Liu
3
Accepted: 12 January 2019 /Published online: 21 January 2019
#Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract
Self-compassion involves treating oneself with kindness rather than harsh judgement,
viewing imperfection as an inherent part of shared human experience rather than seeing
them as isolating, and being mindful of painful feelings rather than over-identifying with
them. Abundant evidence has identified the adaptive role of self-compassion on multiple
intrapersonal outcomes, such as mental health, emotional well-being and improvement
motivation. However, relatively few is known about self-compassion’sinterpersonal/
social benefits, especially in adolescents. The present study examined the relationships
between self-compassion, satisfaction of relatedness, general trust, and prosocial behav-
ior in a relatively large Chinese high school adolescent sample (N= 3238, 47.8% boys;
Mage = 15.66 years, SD = 0.80). We observed that self-compassion was positively
associated with adolescents’prosocial behavior, and that relatedness and trust mediated
the positive association. Moreover, we found that boys maintained a slightly higher level
of self-compassion than girls, and multi-group analysis showed that the relationship
between self-compassion and trust was also slightly greater in boys than girls. The
present study sheds light on how self-compassion is associated with positive social
behavior in adolescents. We suggest that self-compassion intervention could be adapted
and implemented during this critical developmental period. More research is encouraged
to further discover the adaptive functions of self-compassion in social context.
Keywords Self-compassion .Relatedness .Trust .Prosocial behavior
Child Indicators Research (2019) 12:2035–2049
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-019-9623-2
*Yu Kou
yu_kou1@163.com
1
School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University,
Shanghai 200062, China
2
Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for
Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Institute of Developmental
Psychology, Beijing Normal University, 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District,
Beijing 100875, People’s Republic of China
3
MiZhi Middle School of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi 718100, China
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... However, previous literature shows inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between social dominance goals and prosocial behavior. Several studies support that social dominance can improve children's prosocial behaviors (Choi et al., 2011), whereas others show the opposite conclusion (Yang et al., 2019a, b). Researchers who argue for a positive association between the two factors mainly discuss its collaborative situation. ...
... Average score was calculated, with a high score indicating high levels of prosocial behavior. This scale has been shown as a reliable and valid measure in previous research on Chinese samples (Yang et al., 2019a, b). The data exhibited good consistency for this scale (Cronbach's alpha = 0.780). ...
... Similarly, the social dominance goal is associated with maladaptive participation and low achievement in the 6th and 7th grades of the school (Kiefer & Ryan, 2008). However, social dominance is not significantly associated with prosocial behavior, which is opposite to previous findings that high social dominance leads to less prosocial behavior (Yang et al., 2019a, b). The reason may be a combination of several factors. ...
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The positive effect of school climate on adolescents’ prosocial behavior is supported in literature, but the influencing mechanisms in this association remain unclear. The current study uses a moderated mediation model to examine the potential mediation of self-identity, social dominance, and social competence, and moderation of gender in the link between school climate and adolescents’ prosocial behavior. A valid sample of students (n = 659, Mage = 15.09 years) are requested to complete questionnaires and scales to measure school climate, self-identity, social dominance, social competence, and prosocial behavior in Jiangsu Province, China in 2021. The relationship between school climate and prosocial behavior is mediated by self-identity and social competence but not by social dominance. A significant gender difference is observed regarding the association of self-identity and social dominance with prosocial behavior. Findings contribute to the further understanding of how school climate predicts adolescent prosocial behavior, and provide practical implications for social work programs to promote students’ prosocial behaviors.
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... Self-compassion can empower adolescents to weaken the negative impact of negative events (including negative school gossip) on their mental well-being (Wang et al., 2022) and reduce the likelihood of engaging in negative behaviors (Jiang et al., 2016). Selfcompassion is also closely related to adolescents' positive psychological functioning, interpersonal skills, and social development, and it significantly predicts the development of prosocial behavior (Yang et al., 2019). Self-compassion encompasses empathy toward self and others, as well as a sense of interconnectedness between self and others (Neff & Pommier, 2013). ...
... Basic psychological needs satisfaction is considered as a potential explanatory variable to verify the indirect effect of negative school gossip on prosocial behavior, thereby providing an explanatory perspective for the predictive relationship. Finally, as an internal self-adjustment strength, self-compassion has been shown to effectively alleviate the impact of negative events (Wang et al., 2022) and contribute to the occurrence and development of prosocial behavior (Yang et al., 2019). Therefore, we expect that self-compassion can alleviate the direct and indirect negative effects of negative gossip on high school students' prosocial behavior, which will provide insights into possible interventions by educators to help students cope with negative gossip and increase prosocial behavior. ...
... In addition, self-compassion can positively predict basic psychological needs satisfaction (Yang et al., 2019). High levels of self-compassion enhance individuals' perception of autonomy, self-efficacy, and their relationships with others (Neff, 2003). ...
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... For instance, Hakanen et al (2006) .'s study discovered that work engagement, which is characterised as a pleasant state of mind related to one's work, is linked to lower levels of stress and burnout [30]. Another study by Yang, et al. (2019) discovered that improved mental health outcomes are related to self-compassion, which is defined as treating oneself with love and understanding [31]. The role of diversity and inclusion in work culture ...
... For instance, Hakanen et al (2006) .'s study discovered that work engagement, which is characterised as a pleasant state of mind related to one's work, is linked to lower levels of stress and burnout [30]. Another study by Yang, et al. (2019) discovered that improved mental health outcomes are related to self-compassion, which is defined as treating oneself with love and understanding [31]. The role of diversity and inclusion in work culture ...
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... Previous studies revealed a certain crisis of confidence in the communication process among college students' interpersonal trust levels (He, 2022;Wang & Hu, 2021;蔡力 为, 2020). Recent studies in China on interpersonal trust among college students have mostly focused on analyzing the correlation between interpersonal trust and common variables, such as level of mental health and pro-social behavior, etc. (Guo, 2017;Yang et al., 2019). Although China's traditional culture and modern education have always prioritized the development of integrity and interpersonal trust among people and students, various factors have negatively impacted interpersonal trust among college students ranging from the sociocultural transformation of Chinese society to the lack of selfawareness development t (He, 2022;蔡力为, 2020). ...
The effect of state gratitude on interpersonal trust under cognitive reappraisal among Chinese college students
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Objectives This article starts with increasing emotions through cognitive reappraisal and explores the impact of state gratitude emotions on interpersonal trust among college students under cognitive reappraisal. Method In study 1, we used a questionnaire survey and experimental design to collect data, which we processed/analyzed using SPSS 23.0. We employed, the Rotter Interpersonal Trust Scale (ITS), as adapted by Xu Huiyan, consisting of 25 items, to measure the interpersonal trust levels among college students and to explore the potentially significant differences in interpersonal trust levels among the students based on their demographic variables, including gender. We collected 347 survey questionnaires, with 143 from males and 204 from females, with a mean age of 20.93 (SD = 2.703). In study 2, we utilized a univariate inter-subject experimental design, with the independent variable being the state gratitude emotion (awakened vs. not awakened) under cognitive reappraisal, and the dependent variable was the level of interpersonal trust. Thirty participants participated in the pre-experiment, followed by 119 participants in the formal experiment to assess the impact of state gratitude emotion on interpersonal trust among college students, using motivation reappraisal strategy ( t = − 4.028, p < 0.01). Results This study found that (1) the overall interpersonal trust of college students was moderate to low ( M = 38.01, SD = 9.13); (2) no significant differences in interpersonal trust levels were found among college students based on gender, grade, and whether they had children; however, the significant differences in interpersonal trust levels were observed among college students based on their the area of residence ( F = 3.675, p < 0.05), school type ( F = 3.04, p < 0.05), and family type ( t = − 3.034, p < 0.01); (3) cognitive reappraisal has been shown to enhance individuals’ gratitude emotions in situations, thereby, raising their interpersonal trust level. Conclusions We conclude that cognitive reappraisal enhances individuals’ positive emotions and levels of interpersonal trust in social interactions, offering a reference for promoting positive emotions and interpersonal trust levels among college students.
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... The scale consists of six components: self-kindness, selfjudgment, isolation, common humanity, mindfulness, and over-identification. The Chinese version of SCS has demonstrated good reliability and validity among adolescents (Yang et al., 2019). ...
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Given the heightened difficulties in social adjustment and the potential diminishment of social networks encountered by migrant children, family functioning may play a crucial role in their development. Existing research has highlighted the significance of family environment in shaping adolescent self-compassion and emotion regulation, which can serve as protective factors against adverse emotional outcomes. However, there remains a lack of comparative studies to examine the specific effects of family functioning on fostering self-compassion and emotion regulation in both migrant and their non-migrant counterparts. The present study utilized a three-wave longitudinal design with 12-month intervals to examine the longitudinal effects of family functioning on self-compassion and emotion regulation, while also examining potential variations in these associations between migrant and non-migrant children. A total of 244 migrant children and 491 non-migrant children from a high school in Guangdong Province (357 females; Mage = 15.3 at Time 1, SDage = 0.53) participated in this study. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were utilized to examine the longitudinal associations among family functioning, self-compassion, and emotion regulation in both groups. The results showed that, at the within-person level, family functioning reciprocally predicted self-compassion over time among migrant children, and it also exerted an indirect effect on emotion regulation, mediated by self-compassion. Among non-migrant children, emotion regulation positively predicted self-compassion over time, with no other observed cross-lagged effects.
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... Dans ce cadre, Deborah et al. (2019) définissent l'influenceur comme « un utilisateur de médias sociaux actif et autonome qui est écouté et considéré comme une source de confiance par les autres utilisateurs de médias sociaux » (p.3). en effet, une étude précédente a révélé que si les consommateurs ne trouvent pas de contenu fiable et digne de confiance dans une boutique en ligne, ils ne le considéreront pas(Yang et al., 2019). ...
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The Effect of Prosocial Autonomous Motivation on Adolescents’ Well-being and Prosocial Behavior: The Mediating Role of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction [亲社会自主动机对青少年幸福感及亲社会行为的影响: 基本心理需要满足的中介作用]
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Prosocial behavior was considered as a critical way to help individuals gain happiness. However,Self-de- termination theory suggests that the degree to which a prosocial act is autonomous predicts its effect on well-being and the maintenance of prosocial behavior. The present study combined a questionnaire survey ( study 1) and an experimental design ( study 2) to investigate the effect of prosocial autonomous motivation on Chinese adolescents’ well-being and prosocial behavior,and also examine the mediating role of basic psychological needs satisfaction. A sample of 293 adolescents participated in study 1. They were asked to complete a questionnaire containing prosocial self-regulatory scale,basic psychological needs satisfaction scale,Chinese positive affect and negative affect scale, satisfaction with life scale,and adolescents’ prosocial behavior scale. Using an experimental design,study 2 manipulated prosocial motivation ( autonomous/controlled) by hypothetical scenarios,and participants were randomly assigned to either of the two groups. Two hundred and five adolescents were asked to read the scenarios related to prosocial motivation,and then completed subsequent questionnaire measuring basic psychological needs satisfaction,well-being and prosocial behavior. The results showed that prosocial autonomous motivation positively predicted adolescents ’well-being and prosocial behavior. Moreover,the basic psychological needs satisfaction mediated the positive relationship between prosocial autonomous motivation and well-being,and the positive relationship be- tween prosocial autonomous motivation and prosocial behavior. The theoretical and practical implications,as well as the limitations of the present study,were discussed.
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