Decision-Making Styles, Prosociality, and Behavioral Difficulties in Adolescent Offenders: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction and Emotional Experiences

Research on adolescents suggests that decision-making styles, emotional experiences, and life satisfaction play a crucial role in emotional and behavioral difficulties and the development of prosocial behaviors. This study analyzed the relationship between decision-making styles, prosociality, and d...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Arcadio de Jesús Cardona-Isaza, Inmaculada Montoya-Castilla, Angela Trujillo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Behavioral Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/1/80
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Summary:Research on adolescents suggests that decision-making styles, emotional experiences, and life satisfaction play a crucial role in emotional and behavioral difficulties and the development of prosocial behaviors. This study analyzed the relationship between decision-making styles, prosociality, and difficulties among adolescent offenders, as well as the mediating role of life satisfaction and emotional experiences in this relationship. A total of 457 adolescents aged from 14 to 19 years (M = 16.23; S.D. = 1.31; 32.2% female) participated in this study. The variables of interest were assessed using self-reports and descriptive, reliability, correlational, predictive, and mediation analyses were performed. A significant association was found between the study variables. Non-rational decision-making styles and negative emotional experiences influenced difficulties, whereas rational decision-making, life satisfaction, and positive emotional experiences influenced prosocial behavior. Furthermore, the results show that the relationship between rational decision-making and prosocial behavior is mediated by life satisfaction, emotional balance, and positive emotional experiences. Similarly, negative emotional experiences mediated the relationship between a hypervigilance decision-making style and emotional and behavioral difficulties. The results of this study indicate the importance of intervening in decision-making styles, emotional management, and life satisfaction in offending adolescents to decrease behavioral and emotional difficulties and favor prosocial behavior.
ISSN:2076-328X