Beyond General Prosocial Behavior: Nature Connectedness, Authenticity, and Instrumental Prosocial Behavior in Late Childhood

Research linking nature connectedness to prosociality has rarely distinguished motivationally specific forms of helping. The present study examined the associations of nature connectedness with general prosocial behavior and the more specific instrumental prosocial behavior during late childhood, with authenticity examined as an associational variable. Using a cross-sectional design, the final analytic sample comprised 281 Grade 4 and Grade 5 students aged 9–12 years who were recruited through convenience sampling from two primary schools in Yantai, China. Path analyses using factor scores adjusted for differential item functioning were interpreted within an Associational Variable Analysis framework. Nature connectedness was positively associated with authenticity and general prosocial behavior, with a significant positive indirect association involving authenticity. In contrast, authenticity was negatively associated with instrumental prosocial behavior. Nature connectedness showed a positive direct association with instrumental prosocial behavior after accounting for authenticity but a negative indirect association involving authenticity, resulting in a nonsignificant total association. The positive direct association differed by sex and was significant among boys but not girls. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing instrumental from general prosocial behavior and suggest that authenticity may help differentiate their associations with nature connectedness in late childhood.