Longitudinal Associations Between Prosocial Behavior, Internalizing Symptoms, and Suicide Risk During the Transition to Adulthood

Purpose: Rates of internalizing symptoms and suicide risk are increasing among emerging adult populations. The current study highlighted resiliency factors, including prosocial behavior and selfesteem, and their longitudinal associations with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and suicidal risk. Methods: Participants included 472 emerging adults at 2 time points (Time 1 M age = 18.37, 52% women; Time 2 M age = 23.31). Results: Results from path analyses suggested that prosocial behavior toward family members at Time 1 was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal risk at Time 2 via emerging adults' self-esteem. Discussion: Findings highlight the importance of family relationships during the transition to adulthood in protecting against internalizing symptoms and suicide risk. (c) 2024 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.