Korean J Child Stud. 2014; 35(1): 1-15.
The Effects of Parents` Neglect and Abuse on the School Adjustment in Adolescents: The Mediating Effects of Social Withdrawal
부모의 방임 및 학대가 청소년의 학교생활적응에 미치는 영향: 사회적 위축의 매개효과
박기원
Ki Won Park
ABSTRACT
In this paper, the effects of parental neglect and abuse on school adjustment mediated by social withdrawal in adolescents were examined using a sample of 2,163 second grade middle school students(1,096 boys and 1,067 girls) from the Korean Child and Youth Panel Survey(KCYPS) data set. All research variables were measured using self-reported questionnaires. They were analyzed by means of Structural Equation Modeling. The results indicated that parents` abuse had no direct effect, but there was an indirect effect on adolescents` school adjustment mediated by adolescents` social withdrawal. Parental neglect had a direct effect on adolescents` school adjustment and also had an indirect effect on adolescents` school adjustment mediated by social withdrawal. The results indicate that parental neglect is a more significant contributor than adolescents` social withdrawal on adolescents` school adjustment. The results of this study show that parenting attitude, more specifically parental neglect, tend to be more important factors on school adjustment compared to adolescents` psychological problems, such as social withdrawal in adolescence. Taken together, these findings suggest that interventions aimed at improving parental neglect and adolescents` social withdrawal need to be emphasized if adolescents are to better adjust to school life.
Key words :
parent abuse, parent neglect, school adjustment, social withdrawal
