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Prosocial behavior associated with trait mindfulness, psychological capital and moral identity among medical students: a moderated mediation model

Liu, Nana, Cao, Yanjun, Xu, Haibo·2024·Frontiers in Psychology
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1431861PMC PMC11614594
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Abstract

Purpose: As future doctors, medical students’ prosocial behaviors may affect the relationship between doctors and patients. This study aims to explore the effects of trait mindfulness on prosocial behaviors, as well as the mediating role of psychological capital and the moderating role of moral identity among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between July and October 2023 across four medical colleges in China, using cluster random sampling. The questionnaire included general demographic information, the Prosocial Tendencies Measurement Scale, the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, and the Moral Identity Scale. The SPSS 25.0 and PROCESS v3.4 macro were used for descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation and moderation analyses. Results: A total of 2,285 samples were included. The analyses showed that prosocial behavior was positively correlated with trait mindfulness, psychological capital, and moral identity ( r = 0.293, 0.444, and 0.528, p < 0.01); trait mindfulness predicts prosocial behavior ( β = 0.292, 95% CI [0.253, 0.332]); and psychological capital played a partial mediation role between trait mindfulness and prosocial behaviors ( β = 0.413, 95% CI [0.368, 0.459]). Furthermore, moral identity played the moderating roles between trait mindfulness and prosocial behavior ( β = 0.049, 95% CI [0.011, 0.087]) and between PsyCap and prosocial behavior ( β = 0.062, 95% CI [0.032, 0.092]). Conclusion: Trait mindfulness, psychological capital, and moral identity are conducive to the development of medical students’ prosocial behavior. These findings provide evidence for the cultivation of prosocial behaviors and for the development of mental health courses, which should be tailored to medical students.

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  • Moral identity theory links D5 and D4 because acting prosaically may express core values rather than instrumental calculation.

    “Moral identity theory (45) links D5 and D4 because acting prosaically may express core values rather than instrumental calculation (46).”

    From Volunteerism as a multidimensional form of human prosocial engagement (2026) · cites this paper as [46]

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Authors
Liu, N., Cao, Y., & Xu, H.
Venue
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2024-11-20
Volume
15
ISSN
1664-1078
DOI
10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1431861
PMC
PMC11614594
Cited by
15
References
11
Licence
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (vor)

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