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. 2009 Aug;77(4):1229-59.
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00580.x. Epub 2009 May 19.

Reciprocal relations among self-efficacy beliefs and prosociality across time

Guido Alessandri  1 , Gian Vittorio Caprara, Nancy Eisenberg, Patrizia Steca
Affiliations

Reciprocal relations among self-efficacy beliefs and prosociality across time

Guido Alessandri et al. J Pers. 2009 Aug.

Abstract

The present study examined the longitudinal relations between individuals' prosociality and their self-efficacy beliefs in regard to emotional regulation and responding empathically to others' needs. The participants were 244 females and 222 males with a mean age of 17 years (SD=1.5) at T1, 19 years (SD=1.4) at T2, and 21 years (SD=1.6) at T3. The findings corroborated the posited paths of relations assigning empathic self-efficacy a major role in predicting the level of individuals' prosociality. Empathic self-efficacy beliefs mediated the relations of regulative emotional self-efficacy beliefs to prosocial tendencies such as caring, sharing, helping, and empathic concern toward others. The posited conceptual model accounted for a significant portion of variance in prosociality and has implications for interventions designed to promote and sustain prosociality.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual model of the paths of influence of Regulative Emotional Self-Efficacy and Empathic Self-Efficacy beliefs on adults’ Prosociality assessed at T1, at T2, and at T3. SE = self efficacy beliefs.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Longitudinal relations between Regulative Emotional Self-Efficacy and Empathic Self-Efficacy beliefs on adults’ Prosociality assessed at T1, at T2, and at T3 in the fully sex-constrained model. SE = self efficacy beliefs. Solid lines represent significant paths, and dotted lines represent nonsignificant paths. Reported coefficients refers to standardized estimates respectively for males and for females (in parentheses). All parameters are significant beyond p < .05.
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