Social Support and Prosocial Tendencies Among Chinese University Students: Parallel Indirect Associations Through Future Self-Continuity and Positive Empathy

Abstract

In the context of cultural change in China, an important developmental question is how attention to one’s own future relates to a willingness to benefit others. This cross-sectional study examined parallel indirect associations through future self-continuity and positive empathy in 4087 students from three universities in Jiangxi Province, China. Analyses adjusted for four demographic covariates and used percentile-bootstrap confidence intervals. Social support showed a positive total association with self-reported prosocial tendencies (β = 0.313). Specific indirect associations were positive through future self-continuity (B = 0.0057, 95% CI [0.0047, 0.0067]) and positive empathy (B = 0.0077, 95% CI [0.0066, 0.0089]), and a positive direct association remained. An exploratory comparison retaining future self-continuity found a larger indirect association through positive than negative empathy. These findings suggest that connections with the future self and responses to others’ positive experiences provide complementary perspectives on the association between social support and prosocial tendencies.