Maternal behavioral control and prosocial behavior in mainland Chinese adolescents: a moderated mediation model of empathy and self-esteem

Parenting practices are assumed to have an important influence on predicting adolescents' prosocial behavior. However, the underlying mechanisms of the link between the critical parenting practice of parental behavioral control and adolescents' prosocial behavior have received relatively less attention. Adolescents' empathy and self-esteem are also identified as contributing to their prosocial behavior. This study investigated whether adolescents' empathy mediated the relationship between maternal behavioral control and their prosocial behavior and whether the mediation process was moderated by their self-esteem. Self-report questionnaires measuring these variables were administered to 2502 Mainland Chinese adolescents (M age = 13.79 years; range = 11-18 years; 52% girls). After controlling for demographic variables, the results revealed that empathy partially mediated the link between maternal behavioral control and prosocial behavior. Furthermore, the effect of maternal behavioral control on empathy and empathy on prosocial behavior was both moderated by self-esteem. The discussion elaborates on the function of maternal behavioral control in adolescents' prosocial behavior development.