The association between parent–child attachment and prosocial behavior: A longitudinal study

Prosocial behavior is a favorable social adaptive behavior that enhances the growth of children and adolescents. It is highly essential to cultivate children’s and adolescents' prosocial behavior to develop sound personalities and social harmony. Previous studies have demonstrated that parent–child attachment is related to the formation and development of prosocial behavior. Using a longitudinal design across three time points, this research aimed to examine the mediating effect of self-control and the moderating effect of the teacher-student relationship on the relationship between parent–child attachment and prosocial behavior. A final sample of 462 Chinese students (51.5% male, M = 10.90 years) participated in the survey and completed the anonymous questionnaires including questions on parent–child attachment, self-control, prosocial behavior, and teacher-student relationship. The results indicated that parent–child attachment at Wave 1 positively predicted prosocial behavior at Wave 3. Mediation analysis showed that self-control at Wave 2 played a mediating role between parent–child attachment at Wave 1 and prosocial behavior at Wave 3. Moderated mediation analysis revealed that the teacher-student relationship at Wave 1 significantly moderated the relationship between parent–child attachment at Wave 1 and self-control at Wave 2. When the teacher-student relationship was at a higher level, parent–child attachment had a stronger effect on self-control. These results suggest that positive parent–child attachment promotes prosocial behavior in children and adolescents by improving self-control. In addition, high-quality teacher-student relationships promote the positive effect of parent–child attachment on self-control. This study reveals the influence of the internal psychological mechanism of parent–child attachment on prosocial behavior, which has valuable references for the cultivation of prosocial behavior in children and adolescents.