The effect of PTA activities on the intention to participate in further helping behavior

PTA activity is a kind of prosocial behavior that almost all of parents rearing children experience. The present study examined PTA activities in line with Senoo & Takagi (2003) in which helper obtained the helping effects through the activities such as volunteering and the helping effect determined helpers’ motivation of continuing their activities. Research question is whether their finding is applied to PTA activity which is not necessarily executed voluntarily. Furthermore, it was tested that helping effects obtained in PTA activity affected other prosocial behavior such as volunteering or activities in neighborhood association. Web survey was administered for 120 middle-aged women who had children and have experienced PTA activities. The main results were as follows: (1)Perceived effect of PTA activity and obtained internal reward, i.e., elevation of self-evaluation and establishment of new relationship, positively influenced the intention to continue PTA activity, (2)this was applied to other prosocial activities, (3)these effects were obtained clearer in groups who felt burdens heavily in PTA activity