Pathways from marital relationships to children's social-emotional development in Korea: The role of parenting and social support

• Published in: Early childhood research quarterly 2023-01, Vol.65, p.342-351
• Main Authors: Lee, Yujin, Kim, Kyungmin, Douglass, Anne, Zeng, Songtian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child social-emotional development; Family processes; Longitudinal study; Marital relationships; Moderated mediation analysis; Parenting
• ISSN: 0885-2006; 1873-7706
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.07.011

•Marital relationships were linked to children's social-emotional development among Korean families.•Maternal and paternal parenting served as mediating pathways.•Social support altered the effects of marital relationships on children. Using three waves of data from the Panel Study of Korean Children (family N = 1,723), this study investigated whether and how the longitudinal effects of marital relationships on children's social-emotional development are mediated through parenting and the moderating role of social support in the mediating processes. Results showed that fathers’ coparenting and warmth and mothers’ parenting stress mediated the effects of marital relationships on children's externalizing and internalizing problems. Notably, some of the mediating processes were moderated by social support from extended family, friends, and neighbors. Our findings highlight the importance of considering both the proximal and broader family environment (e.g., social support from people outside the family) in understanding children's early social-emotional development.