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The Multiple Mediation of Psychological Capital and Empathy in the Relationship Between Social Support and Prosocial Behavior

Cai, Linnan LU (2022) PSYP01 20221
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Prosocial behavior is important for building a harmonious society, while acting prosocially is also regarded as beneficial for mental wellbeing. To explore the potential underlying mechanism of promoting prosocial behavior, the present study investigates if psychological capital and empathy mediate a proposed relationship between perceived social support and prosocial behavior.
The final sample consisted of 441 participants (Age: M ± SD = 22.66 ± 5.71) mainly from China, Sweden, UK, and the USA. The result showed that individuals’ tendency for prosocial behavior was positively associated with social support, psychological capital, and empathy. Moreover, structural equation modeling indicated that social support positively predicted... (More)
Prosocial behavior is important for building a harmonious society, while acting prosocially is also regarded as beneficial for mental wellbeing. To explore the potential underlying mechanism of promoting prosocial behavior, the present study investigates if psychological capital and empathy mediate a proposed relationship between perceived social support and prosocial behavior.
The final sample consisted of 441 participants (Age: M ± SD = 22.66 ± 5.71) mainly from China, Sweden, UK, and the USA. The result showed that individuals’ tendency for prosocial behavior was positively associated with social support, psychological capital, and empathy. Moreover, structural equation modeling indicated that social support positively predicted prosocial behavior through the paths of psychological capital and empathy. This means that individuals with higher social support are more likely to be enabled with sufficient psychological capital and empathy, thereby increasing the tendency for prosocial behavior. Exploratory analysis of cultural differences showed that Chinese participants tended to rate higher on psychological capital and prosocial behavior but lower on empathy. Further, multigroup analysis indicated that Chinese participants with higher psychological capital were more likely to behave prosocially, whereas participants from Western countries tended to promote prosocial behavior more through empathy. The findings expand previous research on psychological capital and provide guidance for designing effective psychological interventions to encourage individuals’ prosocial behavior. (Less)
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author
Cai, Linnan LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20221
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
prosocial behavior, social support, psychological capital, empathy, mediation, structural equation modelling
language
English
id
9089415
date added to LUP
2022-06-16 13:12:56
date last changed
2022-06-16 13:12:56
@misc{9089415,
  abstract     = {{Prosocial behavior is important for building a harmonious society, while acting prosocially is also regarded as beneficial for mental wellbeing. To explore the potential underlying mechanism of promoting prosocial behavior, the present study investigates if psychological capital and empathy mediate a proposed relationship between perceived social support and prosocial behavior.
The final sample consisted of 441 participants (Age: M ± SD = 22.66 ± 5.71) mainly from China, Sweden, UK, and the USA. The result showed that individuals’ tendency for prosocial behavior was positively associated with social support, psychological capital, and empathy. Moreover, structural equation modeling indicated that social support positively predicted prosocial behavior through the paths of psychological capital and empathy. This means that individuals with higher social support are more likely to be enabled with sufficient psychological capital and empathy, thereby increasing the tendency for prosocial behavior. Exploratory analysis of cultural differences showed that Chinese participants tended to rate higher on psychological capital and prosocial behavior but lower on empathy. Further, multigroup analysis indicated that Chinese participants with higher psychological capital were more likely to behave prosocially, whereas participants from Western countries tended to promote prosocial behavior more through empathy. The findings expand previous research on psychological capital and provide guidance for designing effective psychological interventions to encourage individuals’ prosocial behavior.}},
  author       = {{Cai, Linnan}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Multiple Mediation of Psychological Capital and Empathy in the Relationship Between Social Support and Prosocial Behavior}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}