Evidence suggests an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, particularly among emerging adults. However, theories on altruism born of suffering or adversarial growth suggest that we might also see prosocial behavior as a function of the pandemic, which may protect against mental health challenges. Because cultural values are central in determining prosocial behavior, the current study explored how cultural values were differentially associated with adaptive prosocial behaviors that might protect against mental health challenges. Participants for the current study included 5,682 young people aged 18–25 years from 14 different countries around the world (68% female, 62% college students). Path analyses suggested that there were few differences in patterns as a function of culture, but revealed that horizontal individualism and horizontal and vertical collectivism were indirectly associated with lower levels of depression via prosocial behavior toward family members. Discussion focuses on the importance of coping by strengthening family relationships via prosocial behavior during the pandemic.

有证据表明 COVID-19 大流行对心理健康有影响，尤其是在新兴成年人中。然而，关于因痛苦或对抗性成长而产生的利他主义理论表明，我们也可能将亲社会行为视为大流行的一种功能，它可以防止心理健康挑战。由于文化价值观是决定亲社会行为的核心，目前的研究探讨了文化价值观如何与可能预防心理健康挑战的适应性亲社会行为存在差异。本研究的参与者包括来自全球 14 个不同国家的 5,682 名 18-25 岁的年轻人（68% 为女性，62% 为大学生）。路径分析表明，作为文化功能的模式几乎没有差异，但揭示了水平个人主义和水平和垂直集体主义通过对家庭成员的亲社会行为与较低水平的抑郁症间接相关。讨论的重点是在大流行期间通过亲社会行为加强家庭关系来应对的重要性。