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. 2022 May-Jun;32(3):490-506.
doi: 10.1002/casp.2571. Epub 2021 Sep 18.

Prosocial behaviours under collective quarantine conditions. A latent class analysis study during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

Giovanni Aresi  1   2 , Fortuna Procentese  3 , Silvia Gattino  4 , Iana Tzankova  5 , Flora Gatti  3 , Christian Compare  5 , Daniela Marzana  1   2 , Terri Mannarini  6 , Angela Fedi  4 , Elena Marta  1   2 , Antonella Guarino  5
Affiliations

Prosocial behaviours under collective quarantine conditions. A latent class analysis study during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

Giovanni Aresi et al. J Community Appl Soc Psychol. 2022 May-Jun.

Abstract

We aimed to identify the patterns of prosocial behaviours under collective quarantine conditions. Survey data were collected from a sample of Italian adults during the March May 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Participants reported on offline and online prosocial behaviours, sense of community responsibility (SoC-R) and perceptions of community resilience. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used for data analysis. A total of 4,045 participants completed the survey, and 2,562 were eligible (72% female; mean age 38.7 years). LCA revealed four classes of prosocial behaviours: Money donors (7%), Online and offline helpers (59%), Online health information sharers (21%) and Neighbour helpers (13%). The classes were partially invariant across age groups (18-35 and 35-65 years). Being a man, having achieved a higher educational level and higher SoC-R scores were associated with belonging to the Online and offline helper class. The members of this class also reported the greatest perceptions of community resilience. The results provide insight on the multidimensionality of prosociality under collective quarantine conditions. Online and offline helpers could be targeted for promoting sustained altruism and involvement in community organisations. For the other groups, programmes should aim at eliminating barriers to help others in multiple ways. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Keywords: COVID‐19; community; lockdown; person‐centred approach; prosocial behaviours.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Item‐probabilities plots for the partial invariant four‐class model by age group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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