Links between perception of parental actions and prosocial behavior in early adolescence

RICHAUD DE MINZI, M.C.; MESURADO, B.; LEMOS, V.

Journal of Child and Family Studies

Springer

Año: 2013 vol. 22 p. 637 - 646

1062-1024

The objective of this article is to analyze the links between parental styles, practices, and empathy and specific forms of prosocial behaviors in early adolescents. Argentine Scale of Perception of Relationships with Parents for children and early adolescents, Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM), Parenting Practices Measure (PPM), and Children Perception of Parents Empathy were administered to a sample of 289 middle class children, aged 10 to 16, of both sexes, from primary and secondary schools of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Correlations and hierarchical regressions were used to examine 1) relationships between parental styles, children perception of parental empathy, parental practices, and children?s prosocial behavior, 2) the amount of unique prediction from parental styles, children perception of parental empathy, and parental practices to children?s prosocial behavior. Results indicated that different aspects of parental actions (parental styles, practice, and empathy) have a differential relation according to the type of prosocial behavior is involved. When taking into account these three kinds of parental behavior, parental styles are related to public and responsive, and especially through mother extreme control. Parental practices in term are related principally with anonymous and altruism, but with this latter negatively. Finally, the adolescents? perception of parental empathy adds explained variance in all the cases, although in a lesser proportion.