Factors Affecting Early School-Age Children's Subjective Happiness: Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model of Parental Variables

Abstract

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivs License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0)If the original work is properly cited and retained without any modification or reproduction, it can be used and re-distributed in any format and medium. Purpose: The present study is a descriptive cross-sectional study of cause-and-effect relationship, which used the 7 th year data of the Panel Study on Korean Children, to investigate the effects of parenting stress, depression, and family interactions of the parents of early school-age children on children's subjective happiness. Methods: The present study included data of 1419 pairs of parents who participated in the mother and father survey of the Panel Study on Korean Children. The effects of parenting stress, depression, and parental family interactions on children's subjective happiness were analyzed as actor and partner effects using path analysis. Results: Parenting stress had an actor effect on depression; maternal parenting stress (b=-.21, p<.001) and depression (b=-.30, p<.001) had an actor effect on maternal family interaction; and paternal parenting stress (b=-.18, p<.001) and depression (b=-.17, p<.001) had a partner effect on maternal family interaction. Paternal parenting stress was found to have an actor effect on paternal family interaction (b=-.30, p<.001), and parental depression was found to have actor effect (b=-.23, p<.001) and maternal depression had a partner effect on paternal family interactions (b=-.22, p<.001). Children's subjective happiness was found to have a statistically significant relationship with maternal family interaction (b=.40, p<.001). Conclusion: The significance of the study is in its provision of basic data for adjusting parents' family interactions that are closely related to the growth and development of children by confirming the effect of parents' parenting stress, depression, and family interaction on children's subjective happiness.

Effects of parental bedtime involvement during children’s bedtime.

“…In contrast, prior research revealed that parents’ mental health problems adversely affected a child’s development and well-being (Powdthavee & Vignoles, 2008; Vänskä et al, 2017). For instance, mothers’ depressive symptoms were linked to the development of depressive symptoms in childhood (Thomassin et al, 2017) and undermined children’s subjective happiness (Kang et al, 2017). Mothers’ parenting stress is widely known as a significant predictor of children’s negative affect and behavioral problems (England & Sim, 2009).…”

“…Therefore, promoting children’s positive emotions, such as happiness and well-being, may lower the probability of depression in later life and improve their adaptation to the transfer from kindergarten to elementary school (Seligman, 2002). There is no doubt that happiness in childhood develops into well-being and happiness in adulthood (Seligman, 1995), and that family plays an important role in shaping these feelings during childhood (Kang et al, 2017; Morey & Gentzler, 2017). It has been reported that mothers’ positive parenting styles were associated with low levels of stress in children during the transition period (Kim & Gong, 2012).…”

“…It has been reported that mothers’ positive parenting styles were associated with low levels of stress in children during the transition period (Kim & Gong, 2012). Mothers’ cohesive and flexible interactions with family members were positively associated with children’s happiness and well-being (Kang et al, 2017). In addition, parents’ participation in their children’s play was found to positively affect children’s happiness (Kim, 2020).…”