The Impact of Maternal Relationship Quality on Emerging Adults' Prosocial Tendencies: Indirect Effects via Regulation of Prosocial Values

Byline: Carolyn McNamara Barry (1), Laura M. Padilla-Walker (2), Stephanie D. Madsen (3), Larry J. Nelson (2) Keywords: Prosocial behavior; Regulation of prosocial values; Parent--child relationship quality; Emerging adulthood Abstract: Studies document that parents serve as children's primary socialization agents, particularly for moral development and prosocial behavior however, less is known regarding parental influences on prosocial outcomes during the transition to adulthood. The purpose of this study was to investigate how mother--child relationship quality was related to prosocial tendencies via emerging adults' regulation of prosocial values. Participants included 228 undergraduate students (ranging from 18 to 25 years 90% European American) and their mothers (ranging from 38 to 59 years) from four locations across the United States. Path analyses using structural equation modeling revealed that mother--child relationship quality was related to emerging adults' regulation of prosocial values, which was, in turn, related to emerging adults' prosocial tendencies. Specifically, emerging adults who reported higher levels of internal regulation of prosocial values were more likely to report prosocial tendencies that de-emphasized themselves, and were less likely to report prosocial tendencies for the approval of others. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Psychology, Loyola College in Maryland, 4501 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD, 21210, USA (2) Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA (3) McDaniel College, Westminster, MD, USA Article History: Registration Date: 04/10/2007 Received Date: 28/08/2007 Accepted Date: 04/10/2007 Online Date: 30/10/2007 Article note: Portions of this study were submitted for presentation at the Society for Research in Adolescence biennial meeting in March 2008.