Traits de personnalité et comportements prosociaux chez les adolescents : le rôle médiateur de l'empathie Personality traits and prosocial behaviors in adolescents: The mediating role of empathy

Aim of the study. – While many studies have been conducted on the impact of personality traits on antisocial behaviors, there is a lack of empirical data regarding prosocial behaviors. Indeed, to our knowledge, no study has been conducted on the impact of personality traits on prosocial behaviors. The aim of the current student study is to evaluate, in a community sample of adolescents, the impact of psychopathic, borderline and narcissistic traits, moral reasoning, and empathy on frequency of prosocial behaviors. Patients and methods. – A sample of 239 adolescents (mean age = 16.2) completed the Caprara and Pastorelli’s procial scale and the Huizinga ant Elliott’s delinquency scale assessing prosocial and antisocial behaviors, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and Sociomoral Reflection MeasureShort Form assessing empathy and moral reasoning, and a 8-item questionnaire measuring frequency of substance use. Psychopathic, borderline and narcissistic traits were also assessed using the Youth Psychopathic traits Inventor and the fourth version of the Personality Disorder Questionnaire. Results. – Girls had a mean score or prosocial behaviors (M = 59.7; SD = 7.1 vs. M = 51; SD = 9.4; t = −8; P < 0.05) and empathy (M = 67.9;