Prosocial pathways to positive adaptation: The mediating role of teacher-child closeness

Despite robust evidence that prosocial behavior is associated with positive adaptation and likely engenders it, few studies have evaluated mechanisms that may account for these effects. The current study utilized a diverse sample of young children (N = 228, 49.6% female, 45.6% Latinx) to evaluate prospective relations between an observational assessment of children's prosocial sharing behavior at age 6 and children's depressive symptoms and academic achievement at age 8 via intervening teacher reports of a close relationship with the child. The findings supported a significant indirect pathway from prosocial sharing to fewer depressive symptoms and higher academic achievement via the closeness of children's relationship with their primary school teacher. Potential explanations for these findings and their implications for intervention are discussed.