Poster #153 - The effects of South Korean parents’ over-control on adolescents’ depression: The mediating role of adolescents’ identity

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Introduction

South Korean adolescents are reported as being in the lowest rank in the psychological well-being index comparing OECD countries (Yum, Kim, Lee, & Kim, 2017). Specifically, South Korea’s high proportion of adolescents who experience depression (Ministry of Gender Equality & Family, 2017) has been a national concern. Focusing on the role of adolescents’ parents, who still play important roles in their children’s development (Collins & Steinberg, 2006), this study aimed to examine the effects of parents’ over-control regarding South Korean adolescents’ depression. South Korean parents’ are often negatively described in terms of their over-control, which is closely related to their high academic expectations of their children (Lim, 2017).

In addition, as few studies have examined concrete paths that lead parents’ over-control to adolescents’ depression, the present study aimed to show the mediating role of adolescents’ identity that is emphasized throughout adolescence. Adolescents’ identity development is closely related to their depression (Meeus, 2011), and parenting that supports adolescents’ autonomy is reported as being closely related to adolescents’ identity development (Beyers & Goossens, 2008).

In sum, this study aimed to examine the direct effect of parents’ over-control on adolescents’ depression and the indirect effect mediated by adolescents’ identity to better understand South Korean adolescents’ depression.

Hypotheses

Hypothesis 1: South Korean parents’ over-control will positively affect adolescents’ depression

Hypothesis 2: South Korean parents’ over-control will indirectly affect adolescents’ depression through adolescents’ identity

Methods

Study subjects comprised 2,054 adolescents (boys: 1,040, girls: 1,014) who participated in the sixth wave panel survey of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Study (KCYPS). The subjects were 3rd graders from high school and were a nationally representative sample.
The data were analyzed by Pearson correlations and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 25.0. Based on the research hypotheses, the direct and indirect effects of parents’ over-control on adolescents’ self-regulated learning were examined through SEM. Bootstrapping method was used to analyze the indirect effect’s significance.

Results

The results are as follows: First, South-Korean parents’ over-control shows a positive direct effect on adolescents’ depression (β=.163, p<.001). Second, South-Korean parents’ over-control shows an indirect effect on adolescents’ depression through identity (β=.142, p<.05).

Conclusion

Based on the results that show the significant direct and indirect effects of parents’ over-control on adolescents’ depression, the importance of parenting for adolescents’ emotional adjustment should be emphasized. In addition, the importance of adolescents’ identity development (Erikson, 1968) should be highlighted in understanding of adolescents’ depression. It is important to acknowledge that the different areas of adolescent development are interconnected (Steinberg, 2017), and the parents are still playing important roles in their children’s development through adolescence.

Author

• Woon Kyung Lee, Ewha Womans University, Child & Family Research Institute
  Presenting Author