2024 Volume 95 Issue 5 Pages 333-339
The present study investigated the relation between socioeconomic status (SES) and prosocial behavior differentiated by target (toward family, friends, and strangers) in Japanese lower secondary school students. The indirect effects through prosocial motivation (autonomous and controlled regulation) were also examined. The data were collected through an online questionnaire and included 996 participants aged 12－15 years (mean age = 13.14, standard deviation = 0.91). Correlation analysis demonstrated that SES correlated negatively with prosocial behavior. Using structural equation modeling, the mediation model revealed a significant indirect effect of SES on prosocial behavior toward all targets through autonomous regulation. This study is expected to serve as a basis for SES study in Japan and an implication for a teacher to consider in school education about prosocial behavior.
