영아기 어머니의 자녀가치의 변화궤적이 유아기 어머니의 양육행동과 유아의 문제행동에 미치는 영향

Objectives: This study aims to provide a longitudinal analysis on the structural relationship for the change trajectory of mothers’ value of children in infancy and how this value affects the mother"s parenting behavior and subsequent behavioral problems of the child. Methods: This study employed longitudinal survey data from the 1st (2008)~3rd (2010) and the 6th (2013) surveys conducted by the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC). The subjects of this study included 1,601 children and their mothers. Results: Mothers’ value of children in infancy demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the initial value and the rate of change in both emotional value and instrumental value, both showing a decrease over time. A significant difference was also observed in mothers’ parenting behavior and their effect on the children’s behavioral problems. The higher the initial emotional value, the warmer and more controlling the parenting behavior. In addition, larger rates of change led to parenting behavior with lower levels of warmth and control. Additionally, mothers’ emotional value of children was shown to partially mediate the mothers’ parenting behavior and the resulting behavioral problems in children. The higher the initial instrumental value, the warmer and more controlling the parenting behavior. However, the rate of change for the instrumental value did not affect mothers’ parenting behavior in childhood nor the behavioral problems of the children. Conclusion: This study confirms mothers’ value of children in infancy changes over time. In addition, it also confirms that mothers’ value of children is an important mechanism that influences children’s behavioral problems by mediating parenting behavior; this occurs through the structural relationship in which mothers’ value of children in infancy affects mothers’ parenting behavior in childhood and the subsequent behavioral problems of the children.