A longitudinal analysis of social class and adolescent prosocial behaviour: a latent growth model approach ( Un análisis longitudinal de clase social y conducta prosocial adolescente: un enfoque de modelo de crecimiento latente )

Abstract

The current research used longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,091) to examine the link between social class and prosocial behaviour from third grade to sixth grade. Latent growth modelling found that adolescents from families with increased income-to-needs ratio tended to experience an increase in prosocial behaviour from third grade to sixth grade; adolescents from families with high income-to-needs ratio in third grade were more likely to be identified as the class of high initial with decrease; adolescents in the profile of high initial with decrease tended to be more prosocial in each grade and came from families with higher levels of income-to-needs ratio, higher parental education and higher parental occupation. Implications and future directions were presented.