Attachment and the Development of Prosocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Abstract
:1. Introduction
The Present Study
2. Methods
2.1. Data Search Process and the Criteria for an Article’s Eligibility
2.2. Study Selection Plan
2.3. Data Extraction Plan
3. Results
3.1. Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives
Studies Descriptives | Total of Articles (n) | Percentage (%) | Article ID a |
---|---|---|---|
Theoretical background: | |||
| 14 | 73.68% | 1–10, 12, 14–16 |
| 5 | 26.32% | 6, 10, 11, 13, 14 |
Type of data: | |||
| 16 | 100% | 1–16 |
| 0 | 0% | - |
Study designb | |||
| 5 | 31.25% | 2, 3, 4, 6, 15 |
| 11 | 68.75% | 1, 5, 7–9, 10–14, 16 |
Assessment of prosocial behavior | |||
| 7 | 41.18% | 5, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 |
| 4 | 23.53% | 4, 7, 8, 12 |
| 4 | 23.53% | 2, 3, 10, 12 |
| 2 | 11.76% | 1, 9 |
Assessment of attachment | |||
| 11 | 64.71% | 3, 5, 6, 8, 10–16 |
| 2 | 11.76% | 6, 7 |
| 4 | 23.53% | 1, 2, 4, 9 |
Samples Characteristics | N | % | Article ID a |
Country of origin | |||
| 7 | 43.75% | 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12 |
| 4 | 25% | 3, 8, 14, 15 |
| 1 | 6.25% | 13 |
| 1 | 6.25% | 10 |
| 3 | 18.75% | 6, 11, 16 |
Age group | |||
| 10 | 58.82% | 1–4, 7–11, 14 |
| 7 | 41.18% | 5, 6, 11–13, 15, 16 |
Socioeconomic status | |||
| 8 | 42.11% | 2–4, 7, 11–13, 15 |
| 4 | 21.05% | 1, 3, 4, 13 |
| 7 | 36.84% | 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 16 |
Assessment of Prosocial Behaviors | N | % | Article ID a |
| 16 | 84.21% | 1–16 |
| 1 | 5.26% | 1 |
| 1 | 5.26% | 1 |
| 1 | 5.26% | 1 |
3.2. Samples and Assessments
4. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Articles’ ID
The List of Articles That Made It through the Selection Process
- Beier, J. S., Gross, J. T., Brett, B. E., Stern, J. A., Martin, D. R., & Cassidy, J. (2019). Helping, sharing, and comforting in young children: Links to individual differences in attachment. Child Development, 90(2), e273-e289. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13100.
- Bureau, J-F., & Moss, E. (2010). Behavioral precursors of attachment representations in middle childhood and links with child social adaptation. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 28(Pt3), 657-677. https://doi.org/10.1348/026151009X468062.
- Eceiza, A., Ortiz, M. J., & Apodaca, P. (2011). Apego y afiliación: La seguridad del apego y las relaciones entre iguales en la infancia [Attachment and affiliation: Attachment security and peer relationships in infancy]. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 34(2), 235-246. https://doi.org/10.1174/021037011795377610.
- Kim, S., & Kochanska, G. (2017). Relational antecedents and social implications of the emotion of empathy: Evidence from three studies. Emotion, 17(6), 981-992, http://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000297.
- Laible, D. J., Carlo, G., & Roesch, S. C. (2004) Pathways to self-esteem in late adolescence: The role of parent and peer attachment, empathy, and social behaviours. Journal of Adolescence, 27(6), 703-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2004.05.005.
- Li, J.-B., Guo, Y.-J., Delvecchio, E., & Mazzeschi, C. (2020). Chinese adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment: The contribution of mothers’ attachment style and adolescents’ attachment to mother. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(8-9), 2597-2619. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407520932667.
- Marcus, R. F., & Kramer, C. (2001). Reactive and proactive aggression: Attachment and social competence predictors. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development, 162(3), 260-275. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221320109597483.
- Michiels, D., Grietens, H., Onghena, P., & Kuppens, S. (2010). Perceptions of maternal and paternal attachment security in middle childhood: Links with positive parental affection and psychosocial adjustment. Early Child Development and Care, 180(1-2), 211-225. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430903415064.
- Panfile, T. M., & Laible, D. J. (2012). Attachment security and child’s empathy: The mediating role of emotion regulation. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 58(1), 1-21. http://doi.org/10.1353/mpq.2012.0003.
- Profe, W. B., Wild, L. G., & Tredoux, C. (2021). Adolescents’ responses to the distress of others: The influence of multiple attachment figures via empathic concern. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(5), 1671-1691. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211000433.
- Shoshani A., Braverman, S., & Meirow, G. (2021). Video games and close relations: Attachment and empathy as predictors of children’s and adolescents’ video game social play and socio-emotional functioning. Computers in Human Behavior, 114, 106578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106578.
- Simons, K. J., Paternite, C. E., & Shore, C. (2001). Quality of parent/adolescent attachment and aggression in young adolescents. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 21(2), 182-203. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431601021002003.
- Thompson, K.L., & Gullone, E. (2008). Prosocial and antisocial behaviours in adolescents: An investigation into associations with attachment and empathy, Anthrozoös, 21(2), 123-137. https://doi.org/10.2752/175303708X305774.
- Tur-Porcar, A. M., Doménech, A., & Mestre, V. (2018). Vínculos familiares e inclusión social. Variables predictoras de la conducta prosocial en la infancia [Family linkages and social inclusion. Predictors of prosocial behaviour in childhood]. Anales de Psicología, 34(2), 340-348. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.34.2.308151.
- Vagos, P., & Carvalhais, L. (2020). The impact of adolescents’ attachment to peers and parents on aggressive and prosocial behaviour: A short-term longitudinal study. Frontiers Psychology, 11, 592144. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.592144.
- Zhao, F., Liu, M., & S., Li. (2020). Paternal coparenting behaviour and adolescent prosocial behaviors: Roles of parent-child attachment, peer attachment, and gender. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, 105629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105629.
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Inclusion Criteria | Exclusion Criteria |
---|---|
(1) Empirical research published in peer-reviewed journals with an available abstract; (2) Papers written and published in Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, or Italian (languages mastered by the authors); (3) Studies analyzing the associations between parental attachment and prosocial behavior. (4) Research on children and adolescents (with ages ranging from 0 to 19 years old). | (1) Papers with samples of children or adolescents in non-natural contexts (e.g., institutions; focus on the current pandemic context); (2) Studies on attachment or prosocial behavior within the context of psychopathology (e.g., depression, addictive behaviors, substance abuse; (3) Qualitive research; (4) Research with the main purpose of developing, adapting, and, thus, validating measures of prosocial behavior; (5) Studies that did not accurately or directly assess or measure parental attachment (that did not follow Bowlby’s or Ainsworth’s conceptualization) or prosocial behavior; (6) Papers analyzing intervention programs; (7) Other publications that were not peer-reviewed papers (e.g., books, chapters, conference or poster presentations). |
Articles’ ID, Authors (Date) | N | M Age (SD) | Ethnicity | Attachment Measures | Prosocial Behavior Measures | Results (Associations between Prosocial Behaviors, PB, and Attachment Security, AS) | Q-SSP a Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Beier et al. (2019) [14] | 137 (79 females, 57.66%) | 4.32 years (0.50) | Mostly African-American, 66.4% | Preschool Strange Situation procedure (PSS, [17]). | Observation and coding of behaviors such as helping, sharing, and comforting. |
| 12 |
2. Bureau & Moss (2010) [40] | 129 (69 females, 53.48%) | T1: 6.3 years (1.1) | - | Reunion procedure [41] and Attachment Story Completion Task [42]. | Prosocial Behavior Questionnaire [43]. | No differences were found in PB levels throughout the different attachment styles (T1: F = 1.2; T2: F = 0.58, both p > 0.05). | 11 |
3. Eceiza et al. (2011) [23] | 154 (47% females) | 7.39 years | - | Separation Anxiety Test [44,45]. | Profil Socio-Affective [46]. | Ambivalent and secure children showed higher levels of prosocial behavior (F = 5.295 **) | 10 |
4a. Kim & Kochanska (2017) [22]–Family Study | 101 (51 females, 50.49%). | T1: 15 months | Mostly Caucasian (80–90%) | Attachment Q-Set (AQS, version 3.0; [28,29]). | Prosocial Behavior scale of HealthBehavior Questionnaire [47]. | Direct effect of AS on mothers and PB: β = 0.03, p > 0.05 Direct effect of AS to fathers and PB: β = 0.14, p < 0.10. | 14 |
4b. Kim & Kochanska [22] (2017)–Play Study | 186 (90 females, 48.39%) | T1: 30 months | Mostly Caucasian (70–90%) | AQS, version 3.0; [28,29]). | Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment [48]. | Direct effect of AS on PB: β = 0.08 *; | 10 |
5. Laible et al. (2004) [21] | 246 (70% females) | 18.6 years (1.61) | 15% Caucasian, 13% African-American, 59% Latino | Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, IPPA [27]. | Global index of prosocial responding [49]. | Correlation coefficient: Between parent AS and PB = 0.21 ** | 12 |
6. Li et al. (2020) [31] | 425 (246 females, 57.88%) | 13.97 years (1.67) | Mostly Asian (90–100%) | IPPA-Revised Chinese version [50]. | Strengths and DifficultiesQuestionnaire (SDQ [30], Chinese version). | Self-reported PB and mother reported attachment avoidance: β = −0.11 * Self-reported PB and mother reported attachment ambivalence: β = −0.10 * Self-reported PB and self-reported AS: β = 0.32 ** | 5 |
7. Marcus & Kramer (2001) [35] | 107 (55 females, 51.40%) | 64 months | - | Strange Situation, SS [51]. | Parent-rating of children social competence [52]. | Correlation coefficients: AS and prosocial orientation: 0.57 **Attachment insecurity and prosocial initiative: −0.48 ** AS and prosocial initiative: 0.38 ** Attachment insecurity and prosocial initiative: −0.26 * | 14 |
8. Michiels et al. (2010) [24] | 552 (299 females, 54.27%) | 11.27 years (0.82) | Mostly Caucasian (92%). | Security Scale (Dutch version: [53]). | SDQ (Dutch version: [54]). | Maternal and paternal AS, individually, were not significant predictors of PB (t = 1.357 and t = 1.663, respectively, both p > 0.05). | 13 |
9. Panfile8 & Laible (2012) [36] | 63 (30 females, 47.61%) | 36 months | Mostly Caucasian (81%) | Attachment Q-Set version 3 [28,29]. | Observation of children’s responses to crying (based on [55]). | Correlation between AS and PB = 0.08, p > 0.05, weak and non-significant. | 14 |
10. Profe et al. (2021) [32] | 520 (42% females) | 12.33 years (0.52) | Mostly mixed-race (46%) and Caucasian (37%) | IPPA [27]. | ProsocialTendencies Measure, PTM [56]. | Structural equation model coefficients: β Maternal AS and Global PB: 0.04, p > 0.05. β AS to Father and Global PB: 0.01, p > 0.05. Individual correlations coefficients: Maternal AS and Global PB: 0.10 * AS to father and Global PB: 0.06, p > 0.05. | 13 |
11. Shoshani et al. (2021) [37] | 1426 (681 females, 47.76%) | 11.97 (2.01) | Mostly Jewish (97%) | Attachment Style Classification Questionnaire [57]. | SDQ [30]. | Correlation between AS and PB: 0.17 *** (positive and significant) | 13 |
12. Simons et al. (2021) [58] | 68 (36 females, 52.94%) | 13 years, 3 months (4 months) | Mostly Caucasian | IPPA [27]. | Prosocial items (teacher and parent report, based on [59,60]). | Maternal and paternal AS were not significantly or positively correlated with PB (self-reported, −0.07, 0.06; parent-reported, −0.11, −0.10; or teacher-reported, −0.21, −0.27). | 13 |
13. Thompson & Gullone (2008) [38] | 281 (168Females, 59.78%) | 14.83 years (1.71) | - | IPPA-Revised [61] | SDQ [30]. | Correlation between PB and AS: 0.25 *** | 14 |
14. Tur-Porcar et al. (2018) [39] | 1447 (49.6% females) | 9.27 years (1.36) | Mostly Caucasian (79.5%) and Latinos (12.1%) | Security Scale (Spanish version: [62]). | Escala de conducta prosocial (Spanish version [63]). | Correlations: between maternal AS and PB: 0.291 ***; between paternal AS and PB: 0.248 *** | 12 |
15. Vagos & Carvalhais (2020) [33] | 375 (203 females, 54.1%) | 16.62 years(1.03) | - | IPPA (Portuguese version: [64]). | Peer Experience Questionnaire–Revised (Portuguese version: [65]). | Significant structural equation model coefficient: maternal AS and PB, β = 0.017 * | 13 |
16. Zhao et al. (2020) [34] | 1177 (51.8% females) | 15.37years (1.71) | Mostly Asian (90–100%) | IPPA–Chinese simplified version [66]. | PTM [56]. | Non-significant structural equation model coefficients: maternal AS and PB, β = 0.01 paternal AS and PB, β = −0.03 | 12 |
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Costa Martins, M.; Santos, C.; Fernandes, M.; Veríssimo, M. Attachment and the Development of Prosocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Children 2022, 9, 874. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9060874
Costa Martins M, Santos C, Fernandes M, Veríssimo M. Attachment and the Development of Prosocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Children. 2022; 9(6):874. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9060874
Chicago/Turabian StyleCosta Martins, Mariana, Carolina Santos, Marília Fernandes, and Manuela Veríssimo. 2022. "Attachment and the Development of Prosocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review" Children 9, no. 6: 874. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9060874