The impact of family socioeconomic status on prosocial behavior: a survey of college students in China

Abstract College students’ prosocial behaviors have been shown to help them to attain honor, achieve happiness, and improve their social adaptation. This study was designed to examine the mediating roles of parent-child attachment and emotion regulation self-efficacy in the relationship between family socioeconomic status and prosocial behaviors. A survey was conducted among 458 college students randomly selected from six universities in two Chinese provinces characterized by a medium level of higher education development. The model was verified by structural equation modeling and mediation effect testing methods. The study revealed that family socioeconomic status had a positive effect on parent-child attachment and emotion regulation self-efficacy, but had no direct effect on the students’ prosocial behavior. Moreover, parent-child attachment and emotional regulation self-efficacy both mediated the influence of family socioeconomic status on the prosocial behavior of college students. Finally, family socioeconomic status affected the prosocial behavior of college students through the chain of parent-child attachment and emotional self-efficacy.