Positive Youth Development Mediates the Relations Between Religiousness, Altruism, and Empathy Among Southeast Asian Emerging Adults.

This article examines how religiousness relates to prosocial behaviors—specifically empathy and altruism—among emerging adults in Southeast Asia, focusing on the mediating role of the 5Cs of positive youth development (PYD): competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. Using data from 1,888 emerging adults across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic, structural equation modeling revealed that connection, character, and caring mediated positive associations between religiousness and prosocial outcomes, while confidence showed a negative mediation effect. The findings highlight cultural nuances in collectivistic societies, suggesting that socio-emotional PYD dimensions are more influential than efficacy-related ones in fostering empathy and altruism among religious young adults in this region. This study contributes to understanding the psychosocial mechanisms linking religiosity and prosociality in diverse, non-Western contexts.