Linking classmate autonomy support with prosocial behavior in Chinese left-behind adolescents: The moderating role of self-esteem and grit

Abstract

Framed in a positive youth development framework, the current study examines the association of classmate autonomy support with prosocial behavior in Chinese left-behind adolescents (i.e., adolescents who remain immobile in original regions when one or both of their parents have migrated to find work). Moreover, this study investigates whether left-behind adolescents' individual differences in self-esteem and grit moderated this association. To address these research aims, we examined these associations across two independent samples of left-behind adolescents [Study 1 (exploratory): N = 333, Mage = 13.16, SD = 1.67; 48.3% girls; Study 2 (confirmatory): N = 246, Mage = 15.78, SD = 1.50; 53.6% girls] recruited from different regions of mainland China. Study 1 showed that classmate autonomy support was positively correlated with prosocial behavior; self-esteem and grit moderated this association: for adolescents with low self-esteem, high grit was an important protective factor, fostering the positive association between classmate autonomy support and prosocial behavior. Furthermore, Study 2 replicated the results of Study 1 but also exhibited that, for adolescents with high self-esteem, high grit significantly buffered against the negative effect of low classmate autonomy support on adolescents' prosocial behavior. Taken together, the current study suggests that classmate autonomy support plays a crucial role in facilitating left-behind youths' prosocial behavior, and this association is differentiated by adolescents' self-esteem and grit.