Examining a New Prosocial Risk-Taking Scale in a Longitudinal Sample of Ethnically Diverse Adolescents

Bibliographic Details
Title: Examining a New Prosocial Risk-Taking Scale in a Longitudinal Sample of Ethnically Diverse Adolescents
Language: English
Authors: Emma Armstrong-Carter, Kathy T. Do, Joao F. Guassi Moreira, Mitchell J. Prinstein, Eva H. Telzer
Source: Grantee Submission. 2021 93:222-233.
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 12
Publication Date: 2021
Sponsoring Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Graduate Education (DGE)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH)
National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS)
National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES)
Contract Number: R305B140009
1650116
T32HD07376
R01DA039923
1459719
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Race, Ethnicity, Goodness of Fit, Factor Analysis, Empathy, Prosocial Behavior, Correlation, Risk, Health Behavior, Longitudinal Studies, Rating Scales, Validity, Helping Relationship, Measurement Techniques, Rural Areas, Gender Differences, Developmental Stages, Adolescents, Emotional Adjustment, Social Adjustment, Middle School Students
DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.11.002
ISSN: 0140-1971
Abstract: Introduction: This longitudinal study designed and tested the validity of a new measure of pro-social risk taking -- risks that individuals take in order to help others. Methods: The sample was racially and ethnically diverse adolescents in the rural Southeastern United States (N = 867; Mage = 12.82 years, 10-14 years at Wave 1; 50% Girls, 33% White non-Latinx, 27% Latinx, 20% Black, 20% Mixed/Other race/ethnicity). Adolescents completed self-report measures of the new prosocial risk-taking scale at baseline and one- and two-year follow-ups. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated excellent model fit with a 6-item single factor score. Further, the scale demonstrated good test-retest reliability at one and two-year follow ups. The scale also demonstrated convergent validity, such that prosocial risk taking was positively correlated with prosocial tendencies, empathy, and sensation seeking, and negatively correlated with negative risk-taking behavior and risk tolerance. Finally, we found significant differences by race/ethnicity (but not by gender) in prosocial risk taking, which were not attributable to measurement invariance, and should be interpreted in the context of ongoing societal inequalities between youth. Conclusions: The new Prosocial Risk-Taking Scale yielded reliable scores in our sample. It may be used in future research to investigate individual differences in adolescents' prosocial risk taking, developmental change in prosocial risk taking, and the significance of prosocial risk taking for adolescents' emotional and social adaptation.
Abstractor: As Provided
IES Funded: Yes
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: ED662279
Database: ERIC
More Details
ISSN:0140-1971
DOI:10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.11.002
Published in:Grantee Submission
Language:English