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Relationships between Parental Maltreatment and Adolescents’ School Adjustment: Mediating Roles of Self-Esteem and Peer Attachment

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Abstract

Parental maltreatment of children has been steadily increasing in Korea despite national efforts to curb it. Children and adolescents who experience maltreatment develop psychological and social maladjustment. Therefore, mediating variables alleviating the negative effects of parental maltreatment on child development should be investigated to develop effective intervention programs. We identified the direct effects of parental abuse and neglect on adolescents’ school adjustment and the mediating effects of adolescents’ self-esteem and peer attachment on the relationships between parental abuse and neglect and their school adjustment. We used data from 2351 middle school students who participated in the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey. Structural equation modeling revealed the following: child neglect directly and negatively related with adolescents’ school adjustment, whereas child abuse did not. Further, while adolescents’ self-esteem and peer attachment mediated the relationship between child neglect and school adjustment, adolescents’ self-esteem alone mediated the relationship between child abuse and school adjustment. These findings imply that there is a need to develop different intervention programs based on child maltreatment types. Finally, we suggested that the negative effects of parental neglect on adolescents’ school adjustment could be alleviated by adolescents’ self-esteem recovery resulting from peer support. On the other hand, in the case of adolescents experiencing parental abuse, self-esteem recovery through education and counseling provided by teachers or respected adults could be prioritized.

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Acknowledgments

This document includes data from the national panel survey on Korean youth’s career path, cultural activities, and problematic behaviors, which was administered by the National Youth Policy Institute. The data have been provided by the NYPI Youth and Children Data Archive.

Funding

This study was funded by Jeonju University’s Research funds.

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  1. Department of Home Economics Education, College of Education, Jeonju University, 303 Cheonjam-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, 560-759, South Korea

    Yangmi Lim

  2. Department of Secondary Special Education, College of Education, Jeonju University, Jeonju, South Korea

    Okin Lee

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Lim, Y., Lee, O. Relationships between Parental Maltreatment and Adolescents’ School Adjustment: Mediating Roles of Self-Esteem and Peer Attachment. J Child Fam Stud 26, 393–404 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0573-8

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