Social Capital and Prosocial Behavior among German Children

Abstract

A robust literature connects children’s and adolescents’ social capital to a range of desirable outcomes, including increased academic achievement and decreased delinquency. We extend this research by extending possible associations with child social capital to positive behaviors, measured here as prosocial behaviors. We examine data on 6th graders in Germany. We select the German context in part because one important source of child social capital, participation in religious congregations, is not as prevalent in modern Germany as in the US samples from which many social capital studies are derived. We use data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) and measures of child social capital, including parent–child interactions, family activities, and religious participation, to predict prosocial behavior. Results indicate that social capital in the form of parent-child interactions in the home and child religiosity is associated weakly with greater prosocial behavior. These results suggest that adults can help children develop stronger prosocial norms by increasing interaction with their children and by exposing their children to network ties in religious settings, but also that social capital can be derived different ways in different contexts.

The Impact of Civic and Religious Social Capital on the Antisocial Attitudes of the Youth: A Multi-Level Cross-National Study

“…Even though milder antisocial attitudes and behaviors have been much less researched, some studies have pointed in the direction of such a conclusion. For instance, Barton, Thorpe and Dafur [33] found almost no connection between measures of the within-family social capital (frequency of interaction) and religious social capital (religious self-identification and active membership of religious communities) and prosocial behavior such as kindness, consideration for others and voluntarily helping others.…”

“…On the other hand, it could be expected that moral orientations should be embedded in social relations given that morality in itself is a social phenomenon, i.e., it deals with moral judgments within social relations and interactions. Additionally, it would be beneficial to explore the connection between religiosity, social capital and antisocial attitudes in a wider, cross-cultural context, given that most of the data about the positive outcomes of social capital on adolescents and youths have been derived from the United States [33]. As in other research topics, hypotheses and theories confirmed in one social setting do not have to fit the others.…”

Factores asociados al capital social de estudiantes de diversificado de ciudad Guatemala

“…El hallazgo más controvertido son las prácticas religiosas de los estudiantes. Aunque la literatura reporta que el pertenecer a un grupo religioso fomenta la unidad comunitaria por medio de relaciones sociales positivas (Barton et al, 2020;Somefun, 2019), los resultados muestran lo contrario, lo que está en concordancia con la evidencia del papel ambivalente de la religión cuando se habla de los elementos más buscados en el capital social como el desarrollo social e igualdad (Alam et al, 2017). Sin embargo, se aclara que esta asociación se basa en la identificación personal de cada persona y sus prácticas, por lo consiguiente es necesario examinarlo de forma más extensa y específica, además de la validez de los resultados puede ser afectada considerando el intervalo de confianza obtenido.…”

Peer Victimization and Psychosocial Adjustment among Children of Parents with Physical Disabilities in China: A Comparative Study

“…Furthermore, some studies have found that socially excluded persons tend to display more violence and aggression with reduced sensitivity to the consequences of those actions (Poon & Wong, 2019; Williams, 2009). In contrast, high-quality peer relationships have been linked to positive psychological and social outcomes in adolescents (Barton et al, 2020). Therefore, social exclusion can damage the potential for prosocial behaviors (Coyne et al, 2011; Twenge et al, 2007).…”

“…Therefore, social exclusion can damage the potential for prosocial behaviors (Coyne et al, 2011; Twenge et al, 2007). Moreover, adolescents with more social connections and stronger social ties are more likely to develop positive emotions and experience other prosocial outcomes (Barton et al, 2020; Evans & Smokowski, 2015; Jackson & Tisak, 2010; Padilla-Walker et al, 2016).…”