Sociability and prosocial orientation as predictors of youth adjustment: A seven-year longitudinal study in a Chinese sample

The purpose of the study was to examine contributions of sociable and prosocial dimensions of social competence in childhood to the prediction of educational attainment and socioemotional adjustment in early adulthood in urban China. A sample of children at 12 years of age participated in the original study, and was followed up seven years later when they graduated from high school. Sociability and prosocial orientation in childhood were assessed by peer evaluations. Data concerning youth adjustment were collected from self-reports of the participants and their parents. The results indicated that sociability and prosocial orientation had differential significance for later adjustment in different areas. Whereas prosocial orientation made unique contributions to the prediction of educational achievement, sociability in the early years was a significant and reliable predictor of later socioemotional adjustment.