Peer-reviewed article
The relationship between parent-child relationship and prosocial behavior among Chinese children: the mediating roles of labor participation and sense of social responsibility.
Zhang X, Tang W, Miao Q, Lan H, Wang F et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how parent-child relationships influence prosocial behavior (helping and caring for others) among Chinese primary school children. The research found that better parent-child relationships lead to more prosocial behavior, with this effect operating through two pathways: children's participation in household labor and their sense of social responsibility. Father-child relationships appeared to directly shape behavior, while mother-child relationships influenced broader social-emotional development.
Key points
- Parent-child relationship quality positively correlates with children's prosocial behavior
- Labor participation mediates the relationship between parent-child relationship and prosocial behavior
- Sense of social responsibility mediates the relationship between parent-child relationship and prosocial behavior
- Father-child relationships have more direct effects on behavior; mother-child relationships have more structural effects on social-emotional functioning
- Serial mediation pathways exist where labor participation leads to social responsibility, which then affects prosocial behavior
Limitations
The study uses self-report questionnaires from children only, which may introduce bias and limits causal inference. The cross-sectional design cannot establish whether parent-child relationships cause prosocial behavior or vice versa.
Abstract
Purpose Based on ecosystem theory, this study explores the relationship between parent-child relationships and prosocial behavior among primary students, as well as the mediating effect of labor participation and sense of social responsibility. Methods A total of 810 primary students completed a self-report questionnaire including the Chinese Parent Intimacy Questionnaire-child (PIQ-C), Labor Participation Questionnaire (LPQ), Social Responsibility Status Questionnaire (SRSQ), and Chinese Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM-C). For mediation exploration, a serial mediation model was utilized, and the Bootstrap method was employed to test the significance of these mediation effects. Results Parent-child relationship demonstrates a positive correlation with prosocial behavior. Through the father-child relationship, three significant mediation pathways were identified that directly affect prosocial behavior: (1) labor participation (2) sense of social responsibility (3) labor participation and sense of social responsibility. Research finds that father-child relationships tend to directly influence children's behavioral patterns, while mother-child relationships may have a more structural effect on children's social-emotional functioning. Conclusion Labor participation and sense of social responsibility were identified as serial mediators in the relationship between parent-child relationships and prosocial behaviors.