Prosocial behaviors in university students: Analysis of correlations and contrasts

Condori-Ojeda P.; Yucra Quispe T.; Quispe Clavijo E.; Villamar R.M. · Revista de Ciencias Sociales (2026) · DOI: 10.31876/rcs.v32i2.45586

Resumen

Prosocial behaviors are voluntary actions aimed at promoting well-being and strengthening social cohesion in educational settings. The objective of this study was to compare and relate perceptions of prosocial behaviors—empathy, gratitude, satisfaction, forgiveness, and commitment—among students from three Peruvian universities: two public and one private. The study employed a correlational and comparative design, with a sample of 902 students (53.7% female; mean age 20.4 years). Data was collected using the Prosocial Behaviors Scale by Mesurado et al. (2019), which has an overall reliability of α = 0.969. The results showed strong positive correlations between gratitude, satisfaction, and commitment (r = 0.70–0.75), as well as significant differences between universities in all dimensions, except empathy (F = 2.99; p = 0.05). Students from the private university showed higher levels of gratitude and commitment, while those from the public university stood out in forgiveness and satisfaction. This evidence empirically supports Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior and underscores the influence of the educational context on the development of prosocial behaviors. In conclusion, the development of training programs aimed at strengthening prosociality is recommended. © Licencia de Creative Commons Atribución 4.0 Internacional (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad Nacional del Altiplano; Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola