How Prosocial Behavior Enhances Holistic Well-Being in Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Social Support and Self-Compassion

Abstract

Prosocial Behavior (PSB) has progressively been identified as a contributor in adolescent well-being, but the psychological processes elemental to this relationship are insufficiently understood. Drawing upon Conservation of Resources Theory and Self-Determination Theory, this study examined whether Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Self-Compassion (SC) function as parallel mediators linking PSB with Holistic Well-Being (HWB).

Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 165 adolescents representing diverse school and community settings in India. Participants completed standardized measures of Prosocial Behavior, Perceived Social Support, Self-Compassion, and Holistic Well-Being. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical multiple regression and parallel mediation analyses (PROCESS Model 4; 5,000 bootstrap samples) were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 29.

Results: Prosocial Behavior demonstrated significant positive correlations with Holistic Well-Being (r = .280, p < .001), Perceived Social Support (r = .327, p < .001), and Self-Compassion (r = .254, p < .01). The regression model explained 47.9% of the variance in Holistic Well-Being (R² = .479, F = 49.41, p < .001), with Perceived Social Support emerging as the strongest independent predictor (β = .648, p < .001). Parallel mediation analysis revealed a significant total effect of Prosocial Behavior on Holistic Well-Being (B = .230, 95% CI [.108, .369]). However, the direct effect became non-significant after inclusion of the mediators (B = .033, 95% CI [−.053, .132]), indicating full mediation. The indirect effect through Perceived Social Support (B = .174, 95% CI [.106, .252]) was substantially stronger than the indirect effect through Self-Compassion (B = .023, 95% CI [.001, .047]).

Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that Prosocial Behavior enhances adolescents' holistic well-being primarily by fostering interpersonal and intrapersonal psychological resources. Perceived Social Support emerged as the dominant mechanism through which prosocial behaviors translate into improved well-being, while Self-Compassion provided an additional complementary pathway. These findings extend positive adolescent well-being research by identifying dual resource pathways linking discretionary prosocial behaviors with adolescent flourishing and offer practical guidance for schools and communities seeking to strengthen adolescent well-being through supportive social cultures.