Longitudinal Effects of Maternal Parenting in Early Childhood on Executive Function of First-Grade Children: The Mediating Role of Emotional Problems
AUTHOR : 박새롬
INFORMATION : page. 23~46 / 2022 Vol.29 No.3
ABSTRACT
This study verifies the longitudinal effects of maternal warm and controlling parenting during early childhood on executive function of first-grade children, focusing on the mediating role of emotional problems (emotional reactivity, depression/anxiety). Using the data sets of the 6th-8th wave from the Panel Study on Korean Children, a total of 1,394 household data were analyzed by structural equation modeling and bootstrapping. The findings illustrated that while warm parenting during early childhood had direct positive effects on executive function and indirect positive effects through children’s emotional problems, controlling parenting had only indirect negative effects. The higher the level of warm parenting in early childhood, the lower the children’s emotional problems, showing a higher level of executive function in first grade. On the other hand, the higher the level of controlling parenting, the higher the children’s emotional problems, showing a lower level of executive function. This study empirically proves that maternal warm and controlling parenting during early childhood has different effects on the executive function of first graders through different paths in the long term. These results implicate that children’s emotional characteristics play a critical role in the relationship between parenting and executive function, and parent education supporting the healthy emotional development of children is necessary.