Empathy is very relevant to sociomoral development, especially in relation to prosociality and the penalization of acts as faults and crimes (sociomoral judgment).The objective of this research paper was to test whether empathy is a predictor of prosociality and the penalty of acts among young people in Argentina and Spain. The Argentinian sample comprised 215 high school and university students (67 males; average age 18.57, SD = 0.81). The Spanish sample comprised 199 university students (50 males; average age 20.48, SD = 2.75). The proposed theoretical model showed good results in both countries. In addition, the multigroup analysis showed that the proposed model is invariable in Argentina and Spain. Although empathy was observed to predict prosocial conduct more than the penalization of acts, the predictive power of empathy is significant for both dependent variables. Thus, the importance of empathy in morality is supported. This statement is valid in both Spanish-speaking countries, indicating that empathy is a human process that extends beyond cultural differences.

Esta investigación busca analizar las variables implicadas en la conducta prosocial y la capacidad de esta para actuar como un factor protector frente a los problemas de adicción al juego. Este estudio es de tipo cuantitativo, descriptivo, transversal y correlacional. La muestra se compuso por 258 adultos jóvenes universitarios (59.5% mujeres) con una edad media de 20.95 años (DE= 2.19). Se aplicaron cuestionarios (Brief Resilient Coping Scale, cuestionario de apoyo social, Escala de Prosocialidad y South Oaks Gambling Screen) para medir las variables implicadas y realizó un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales. Los resultados mostraron buenos índices de ajuste (X2(41)= 59.31, p= .06; CFI=.97; GFI=.96; RMSEA=.04) e indicaron que el apoyo social y la resiliencia no se relacionaron, siendo ambas predictoras de las conductas prosociales. Además, las conductas prosociales fueron predictoras de la adicción al juego. Esta investigación presenta un modelo explicativo de las conductas prosociales (30%) y los problemas de adicción al juego (8%) que, en caso de ser replicado, puede ser de gran utilidad en el ámbito clínico y en el universitario al ayudar a comprender mejor el funcionamiento de las conductas prosociales e incorporar estos conocimientos para el desarrollo de programas que fomenten la adquisición de valores sociales.

The containment measures taken because of the COVID-19 pandemic have had consequences on human thought and behaviour. The purpose of this study is to contrast an explanatory model of prosocial behaviours during confinement by analysing different variables involved. The study sample was made up of 946 participants (70.9% female) and had an average age of 35.25 (SD = 13.98). Participants completed a series of online questionnaires. The results show that social support is a predictor of prosocial behaviours and resilience is a mediator in this relationship; living with others is a protective factor for social support; not working during confinement is a predictor for prosocial behaviours; and being female is a predictor of social support and prosocial behaviours. The proposed model explains 33% of the variance in prosocial behaviours and showed an optimal fit (χ 2 /gl = 1.68; CFI = .990; GFI = .985; RMSEA = .027). The results explain certain underlying mechanisms of prosociality in difficult times and reflect certain characteristics of the people most vulnerable to the consequences of confinement. RESUMENLas medidas de confinamiento derivadas de la COVID-19 están teniendo consecuencias en el pensamiento y comportamiento humano. Esta investigación persigue contrastar un modelo explicativo de las conductas prosociales durante un confinamiento analizando distintas variables implicadas. La muestra está formada por 946 participantes (70.9% mujeres) con una edad media de 35.25 años (SD = 13.98). Los participantes completaron una serie de cuestionarios online. Los resultados muestran que el apoyo social es predictor de las conductas prosociales y la resiliencia es mediadora en esta relación; vivir en compañía es un predictor del apoyo social y no trabajar durante el confinamiento lo es de las conductas prosociales; ser mujer es un predictor del apoyo social y las conductas prosociales. El modelo planteado explica el 33% de ARTICLE HISTORY

The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between social support and resilience with prosocial behavior before and during the confinement caused by COVID-19. Materials and Methods: The participants were divided into a confined group (228 women and 84 men) and an unconfined group (153 women and 105 men), all of whom were university students. Instruments were applied to measure the variables proposed. Results: Social support predicted 24.4% of the variance in prosocial behavior among women and 12% among men in the confined group; no evidence of this relationship was found in the unconfined groups. Resilience predicted 7% of the variance in prosocial behavior among confined women, 8.4% among confined men, 8.8% among unconfined women, and 5.1% in unconfined men. Discussion and Conclusion: The results show the importance of social support and resilience in prosocial behaviors, which are key elements for the proper functioning of society, especially in the face of a crisis such as COVID-19.

The relationship of addiction problems with other pathologies or with different problematic factors has often been studied by psychology. Positive psychology is also currently approaching to these problems and their relationship with positive factors, such as prosocial behaviours. The purpose of this research is to carry out a systematic review of the scientific literature that has studied this relationship from 1900 to 2020. After the screening process with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 15 articles were selected. The main characteristics found in this relationship and the problems or limitations of investigations that have found relationships other than the mainstream, which show a negative relationship between prosocial behaviours and addiction problems, are discussed.

The Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) and its revised version (PTM-R) are used internationally to measure prosocial behaviors in different life situations. To obtain accumulated evidence of the report and the reliability of its scores, a meta-analysis of the reliability of internal consistency was performed. The databases of Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus were reviewed and all the studies that applied it from 2002 to 2021 were selected. Results: Only 47.9% of the studies presented the index of reliability of PTM and PTM-R. The meta-analytic results of the reliability report of the subscales that the PTM and the PTM-R have in common were: Public 0.78 (95% CI: 0.76–0.80), Anonymous 0.80 (95% CI: 0.79–0.82), Dire 0.74 (95% CI: 0.71–0.76), and Compliant 0.71 (95% CI: 0.72–0.78). Each one of them presents high levels of heterogeneity derived from the gender of the participants (percentage of women), the continent of the population, the validation design, the incentive to participate, and the form of application. It is concluded that both versions present acceptable reliabilities to measure prosocial behavior in different groups and situations, as adolescents and young people, but their clinical use is discouraged.

La empatía es la capacidad de una persona para sentirse identificada con algo o alguien y, si es el caso, compartir sus sentimientos. Esta capacidad podría influir en comportamientos que conlleven un componente moral como son la conducta prosocial y la penalización de faltas y delitos. El objetivo fue poner a prueba un modelo de interacción de variables según el cual la empatía actuaría como variable independiente y la conducta prosocial y la penalización de faltas y delitos lo harían como variables dependientes. Estas variables se midieron en una muestra de 180 estudiantes universitarios con una media de edad de 20.05 años (DT= 1.83). Los resultados mostraron un buen ajuste con el modelo teórico planteado: X2= .82 (p = .37, gl = 1), así como unos adecuados índices de ajuste y de error de ajuste: GFI=.998; AGFI=.973; CFI=1; RMR=.002 y RMSEA=.000. La empatía se muestra como buena predictora de la conducta prosocial y de la penalización de faltas y delitos. Los resultados concluyen que el modelo teórico propuesto es correcto y la empatía es predictora de las dos variables dependientes; esto conlleva que potenciar la capacidad empática de las personas reducirá el riesgo de que estas lleven a cabo conductas antisociales.

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