"Do You Know Your Child?" Parenting Styles That Do and Don't Predict Child's Life Satisfaction

• In Event: Poster Session 15
  In Poster Session: Adolescence and Youth Development SIG Poster Session

Abstract

The study attempts to identify relational risk and protective factors associated with mother-child discrepancy in the report of child’s life satisfaction. Grounded in self-determination theory, maternal warmth, autonomy support, rejection and control were potential predictors for children’s low life satisfaction and large discrepancy. Using a sample of 218 Korean children and their mother dyads, cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression were conducted. The results showed that only low maternal warmth was predictive of children’s low level of life satisfaction and large mother-child discrepancy. The findings suggest that mother’s warmth seems to be a key relational factor that helps mothers be attuned to the current state of the child at least in this pre-pubertal stage. Directions for future studies are suggested.

Authors

• Jee Seul Ahn, Korea University - Department of Education

• Johnmarshall Reeve, Korea University