The longitudinal relationship between social mobility belief and prosocial behavior among adolescents from out-of-poverty families: The moderating effect of urban‒rural differences

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2024.01499

Abstract

Abstract:

China has entered a new stage of consolidating its achievements in poverty alleviation. It is crucial to stimulate the development of endogenous power among those who have emerged out of poverty. This study explores the longitudinal relationship between social mobility belief and prosocial behavior, as well as the moderating role of urban-rural differences. This study followed 847 adolescents (M_age11.38 ± 2.30 years old, 57% girls) from out-of-poverty families, with two follow-up surveys administered during the following two years. The findings are as follows: (1) social mobility belief exhibited a linear increase in development trajectory, whereas prosocial behavior showed a linear decrease in development trajectory among adolescents from out-of-poverty families. (2) the initial level of social mobility belief positively predicted the initial level of prosocial behavior and negatively predicted the decline in prosocial behavior. Moreover, the increasing trajectory of social mobility belief negatively predicts a decline in prosocial behavior. (3) rural?urban differences served as a moderating factor in the longitudinal relationship between social mobility belief and prosocial behavior. Specifically, for rural adolescents in out-of-poverty families, a higher initial level of social mobility belief was associated with a higher initial level of prosocial behavior. Research findings indicate that China’s poverty alleviation policies have not only increased social mobility belief but also significantly mitigated the decreased development of prosocial behavior in rural adolescents from out-of-poverty families.

Key words: adolescents from out-of-poverty families, social mobility belief, prosocial behavior, urban?rural differences, longitudinal relationship

ZHAO Xian, HU Yiqiu, LI Zhihua. (2024). The longitudinal relationship between social mobility belief and prosocial behavior among adolescents from out-of-poverty families: The moderating effect of urban‒rural differences. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 56(11), 1499-1511.

Figures/Tables 8

References 69

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Variables	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1. Gender	—
2. Urban-rural differences	?0.01	—
3. T1 social mobility belief	?0.06	0.12^**	—
4. T2 social mobility belief	?0.01	0.09^**	0.29^***	—
5. T3 social mobility belief	0.01	0.36^**	0.39^***	0.38^**	—
6. T1 prosocial behavior	?0.02	0.01	0.17^***	0.10^**	0.14^***	—
7. T2 prosocial behavior	?0.01	0.07	0.10^**	0.12^**	0.15^***	0.34^***	—
8. T3 prosocial behavior	?0.02	0.18^***	0.12^**	0.04	0.22^***	0.33^***	0.49^***	—
M	—	—	4.27	4.19	4.37	1.49	1.43	1.41
SD	—	—	0.87	1.02	0.99	0.34	0.45	0.44

Variables	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1. Gender	—
2. Urban-rural differences	?0.01	—
3. T1 social mobility belief	?0.06	0.12^**	—
4. T2 social mobility belief	?0.01	0.09^**	0.29^***	—
5. T3 social mobility belief	0.01	0.36^**	0.39^***	0.38^**	—
6. T1 prosocial behavior	?0.02	0.01	0.17^***	0.10^**	0.14^***	—
7. T2 prosocial behavior	?0.01	0.07	0.10^**	0.12^**	0.15^***	0.34^***	—
8. T3 prosocial behavior	?0.02	0.18^***	0.12^**	0.04	0.22^***	0.33^***	0.49^***	—
M	—	—	4.27	4.19	4.37	1.49	1.43	1.41
SD	—	—	0.87	1.02	0.99	0.34	0.45	0.44

Variables	χ2	df	CFI	TLI	RMSEA (90% CI)	Estimate		Co-correlativity coefficient
Variables	χ2	df	CFI	TLI	RMSEA (90% CI)	Intercept (α)	Slope (S)	Co-correlativity coefficient
Prosocial behavior	2.08	1	0.99	0.99	0.03 (0.00, 0.11)	1.49^***	?0.04^***	?0.01
Social mobility belief	1.96	1	0.95	0.86	0.08 (0.07, 0.19)	4.23^***	0.06^**	0.08^*

Variables	χ2	df	CFI	TLI	RMSEA (90% CI)	Estimate		Co-correlativity coefficient
Variables	χ2	df	CFI	TLI	RMSEA (90% CI)	Intercept (α)	Slope (S)	Co-correlativity coefficient
Prosocial behavior	2.08	1	0.99	0.99	0.03 (0.00, 0.11)	1.49^***	?0.04^***	?0.01
Social mobility belief	1.96	1	0.95	0.86	0.08 (0.07, 0.19)	4.23^***	0.06^**	0.08^*

Variables	Intercept of PB (α_PB)			Slope of PB (S_PB)
Variables	Estimate	Posterior S.D.	95% CI	Estimate	Posterior S.D.	95% CI
Gender	0.05	0.04	[0.08, ?0.12]	?0.08	0.64	[?0.54, 0.42]
Urban-rural differences	?0.05	0.06	[0.14, ?0.16]	?0.02	0.72	[?0.69, 0.36]
Intercept of SMB(α_SMB)	0.38^***	0.07	[0.24, 0.52]	?0.12⁺	0.08	[?0.29, ?0.04]
Slope of SMB (S_SMB)	—	—	—	?0.43^*	0.73	[?0.23, ?0.52]