It's Much More Than Money! Relations Between Adolescents' Financial Entitlement and Behavioral Outcomes

The present study examined the relations between financial entitlement and adolescent gratitude, prosocial behavior, and aggression; and the mediating role of sympathy. The sample consisted of 321 children (160 boys, M-age at Time 2 = 12.29, SD = 1.02) from Times 2, 3, and 4 of the Flourishing Families Project. Adolescents reported on financial entitlement at Time 2, on sympathy at Time 3, and on gratitude, prosocial behavior, and aggression at Time 4. Structural equation model tests showed that adolescents' financial entitlement was negatively associated with sympathy, which in turn was positively associated with gratitude and prosocial behavior. Adolescents' financial entitlement was also directly and positively associated with aggression. Discussion focuses on implications for understanding the consequences of financial entitlement on adolescent behaviors.