AUTHOR=Yuan Shujie , Zhao Zengzhen 

TITLE=Do altruistic tendencies lead to the persistence of voluntary behavior? A moderated mediation analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1553888

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1553888

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=BackgroundIn the postpandemic period, more attention has been given to the sustainability of volunteering in China. Do altruistic tendencies lead to the persistence of voluntary behavior in collectivistic culture? This study examined the relationship between altruistic tendencies and the persistence of voluntary behavior as well as the mediating effect of affective organizational commitment and the moderating effect of psychological collectivism.MethodsA two-wave study was conducted among 423 young volunteers in the Yangtze River Delta from February through April 2024. Model 4 and Model 7 from the SPSS macro PROCESS were used to test the model.ResultsThe sample data collected supported all the hypotheses. Specifically, the findings revealed that altruistic tendencies positively predicted the persistence of voluntary behavior among young volunteers. Affective organizational commitment partially mediated the relationship between altruistic tendencies and the persistence of voluntary behavior. Psychological collectivism positively moderated the relationship between altruistic tendency and affective organizational commitment and played a positive moderating role in the first half of the mediating path.DiscussionThis study tested a moderated mediation framework in collectivistic culture. It revealed the mechanism underlying the influence of altruistic tendencies on the persistence of voluntary behavior, thus identifying important implications concerning the effective guidance of voluntary behavior and volunteer management.