When it Feels Good to Give: Depressive Symptoms, Daily Prosocial Behavior, and Adolescent Mood

Abstract

Past research suggests that engaging in prosocial acts enhances the well-being of the helper, but does prosocial behavior benefit some individuals more than others? The current study implements a daily diary design to test associations between adolescents’ daily prosocial behaviors towards relationally close others and mood. The main goal was to investigate whether daily help-giving has unique benefits for adolescents experiencing greater emotional distress. For 10 days, a diverse sample of youth (N=99; Mage=18.01) reported on their prosocial behaviors towards friends and romantic partners as well as their mood; depressive symptoms were assessed in a prior lab visit. Multilevel models show that participants experienced increased positive mood on days that they were more prosocial, even when controlling for received support; thisassociation was strongest among those reporting higher depressive symptoms. The findings highlight the unique benefits of prosociality in adolescents’ daily lives, suggesting that everyday help-giving behaviors may fulfill social and emotional needs of depressed youth.

Is There Inequality in What Adolescents Can Give as Well as Receive?

“…Lower depression, fewer health problems, and lower mortality have been observed among adults who give to other people (Eisenberger, 2013). Similar findings have emerged among adolescents, including salutary effects of helping others on psychological well-being and biological markers of health, such as inflammation (Schacter & Margolin, 2019; Schreier, Schonert-Reichl, & Chen, 2013).…”

“…Traditionally, these opportunities have been assessed in separate areas of research that focus on families, peers, schools, and communities. Tools for assessing contributions within each setting exist, such as participation in decision-making in families and classrooms (Eccles et al, 1993; Steinberg, 2001), the provision of instrumental and social support to friends (Schacter & Margolin, 2019; Telzer & Fuligni, 2009), extracurricular involvement (Vandell et al, 2015), participation in community programming (Lerner, Almerigi, Theokas, & Lerner, 2005), and civic engagement (Wray-Lake, Metzger, & Syvertsen, 2017). These tools should be integrated in order to develop an inventory of opportunities across the diverse settings of adolescents’ lives.…”

Prosocial behavior promotes positive emotion during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…This value is significantly higher than the previous estimate of 11.0% from the pre-pandemic survey (January -June 2019; NCHS, 2020). Thus, if prosocial behavior provides short-term emotional benefits, even for individuals who report high anxiety or depressive symptoms, these results could be used to potentially support those who are experiencing higher levels of distress during the pandemic but should not replace clinical health care (Schacter & Margolin, 2019).…”