Prosociality and Mental Health Indicators in Portuguese Adolescents – Validation of Prosocialness Scale

Our research aimed to validate the Prosocialness Scale (PS) among Portuguese adolescents. We sought to examine its factorial structure, model invariance across biological sex, reliability, and association with sociodemographic and other relevant variables. Our sample included 454 adolescents aged 13 to 17 who completed self-report measures assessing psychological flexibility, negative emotions, mental health, and prosocial behavior. The PS demonstrated a bifactorial structure comprising a latent factor (prosociality) and two specific factors (actions and feelings). It exhibited satisfactory internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Moreover, it showed positive correlations with psychological flexibility and mental health while negatively correlating with negative affective states. The PS emerged as a valid and reliable instrument for gauging prosocial behaviors, holding promise for application as a screening tool in educational and clinical settings. It may also facilitate the evaluation of interventions aimed at fostering prosocial conduct.