Factors Related to Parental Readiness and Prosocial Behavior in Elementary and Junior High School Students: Focusing on Interactions with Infants

Abstract

[Objective] It has been reported that experiences interacting with infants foster empathy and parental readiness in male and female adolescents. However, it remains unclear whether these experiences enhance children's parental readiness and prosocial behavior. This study focused on interactions with infants and examined the factors related to parental readiness and prosocial behavior among elementary and junior high school students.

[Methods] A self-administered questionnaire survey was administered to elementary and middle school students using the following scales: grade, sex, family members they had lived with, positive feelings toward the infant, depth of experience interacting with infants, number of times they had participated in volunteer work, prosocial behavior scale, and parental readiness scale. After performing a t-test or one-way ANOVA, the related factors were examined using multiple regression analysis.

[Results] The analysis included 249 of the 265 respondents (recovery rate: 94.0%) and 232 respondents with no omissions (valid response rate: 87.5%). There were no significant differences in either scale scores by grade level, sex, or family members who had lived together, with significantly higher scores for those who had more interactions with infants. Liking infants was associated with parental readiness, and participation in multiple volunteer activities was associated with prosocial behavior.

[Conclusion] It is suggested that the depth of experience interacting with infants may be related to parental readiness and prosocial behavior. We believe that opportunities to interact with infants through volunteer activities and hands-on learning can enhance parental readiness and prosocial behaviors.