The Longitudinal Mediating Effects of Perceived Parental Neglect on Changes in Korean Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction by Gender

Abstract

Purpose: The life satisfaction of Korean adolescents tends to decrease beginning in middle school, and this decrease has a negative effect on life satisfaction in adulthood. Gender and perceptions of parental neglect are important variables influencing the life satisfaction of adolescents in Korea. This study examined the longitudinal mediating effects of perceived parental neglect on the life satisfaction of male and female Korean adolescents to assess changes to the relationships between key variables over time. Methods: The present study analyzed data from 2,215 adolescents from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey's fourth-year elementary school panel spanning their first year of middle school (2013) to the first year of high school (2016). A latent growth model was applied to Korean national data. Results: The perceived parental neglect and life satisfaction intercepts differed by gender, and the intercept of perceived parental neglect influenced the life satisfaction intercept. The slope of perceived parental neglect, but not the life satisfaction slope, differed by gender, and the slope of perceived parental neglect influenced the life satisfaction slope. The Sobel method showed that the intercept of perceived parental neglect mediated gender differences in the life satisfaction intercept, and the slope of perceived parental neglect significantly influenced the gender difference in the life satisfaction slope. Conclusion: Efforts to improve adolescent life satisfaction should be differentiated by gender regarding perceptions of parental neglect.

The roles of age, gender, and migration in shaping adolescent student satisfaction within Chilean schools

“…The gender disparity in life satisfaction is a complex issue, shaped by various factors including cultural norms, societal expectations, experiences of discrimination, and access to resources [56][57][58] . Similarly, gender differences in school satisfaction between Chilean and migrant adolescents have been observed.…”

“…However, the reasons for these gender differences in life satisfaction may be complex and multifaceted, influenced by factors such as cultural norms, social expectations, discrimination, and access to resources [56][57][58] . Gender differences in school satisfaction between Chilean and migrant adolescents have also been reported in some studies.…”

Parental Burnout, Negative Parenting Style, and Adolescents’ Development

“…Therefore, a negative parenting style may mediate the relationship between parental burnout and children’s development. Particularly, psychological control and parental neglect have been extensively studied in prior studies [ 16 , 17 ]. Further, psychological control and parental neglect may exhibit correlations with parental burnout, potentially exerting direct predictive influences on the physical and mental development of adolescents [ 18 ].…”

“…Specifically, psychological control is defined as parents’ manipulation of their children’s thoughts and feelings by inducing guilt, love withdrawal, and excessive personal control [ 16 ]. Parental neglect is regarded as behaviors in which parents neglect the basic needs of their children for a long time (including emotional, physical, supervisory neglect, and educational neglect) [ 17 ]. To avoid the continuous consumption of parenting resources, burned-out parents who find it difficult to gain happiness and achievement from parent–child interactions may deliberately ignore their children’s developmental needs [ 7 ] and tend to control their children’s emotions and behaviors by emphasizing authority, expressing disappointment, and inducing guilt [ 8 ].…”