Stability and change in associations between social responsibility goals, achievement, and psychosomatic problems

Social responsibility goals have shown positive relationships with performance and well-being. However, being too diligent has also been raised as a possible contributing factor to students’ reports of feeling stress and pressure in school, as well as experiencing psychosomatic problems. This study investigates the long-term associations between students’ social responsibility goals, academic achievements, and psychosomatic problems from Grade 9 (n = 4,573) to Grade 12 (n = 3,552), and gender differences in these associations. Descriptive statistics showed that girls reported more psychosomatic problems, higher social responsibility goals, and higher GPAs. Structural equation models showed that psychosomatic problems and achievement were stable over time. Social responsibility goals were associated with less psychosomatic problems and higher achievement in Grade 9. For girls, higher achievement was also associated with psychosomatic problems. Social responsibility goals did not predict later achievement, yet they predicted future psychosomatic problems, although the prediction was significant only for boys.