The effects of parenting behavior on prosocial behavior of Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong

This study explores the interplay between parenting behavior and prosocial behavior and examines whether parenting behavior acts as a mediator that explains gender differences in prosocial behavior. We recruited 1988 adolescents (mean age = 14.6 years, SD = 1.8) from 17 secondary schools in Hong Kong. The results showed that parenting behaviors characterized by care, autonomy, and overprotection had differential positive effects on public, emotional, compliant, anonymous, and altruistic prosocial behaviors, whereas indifferent parenting had a negative impact on altruistic prosocial behavior. Among parenting behaviors, autonomy had the most influential positively direct effect on emotional, compliant, anonymous, and altruistic prosocial behaviors. In addition, with mediating effects of gender-differentiated parenting behaviors, boys were influenced significantly more on emotional and altruistic prosocial behaviors by parental overprotection, whereas indifference negatively mediated their altruistic prosocial behavior. These findings provide valuable insights into the multidimensional nature of parenting and prosocial behaviors and partially explain the mechanisms underlying gender differences in adolescents' prosocial behaviors.