Longitudinal Mediation Effect of Life Satisfaction between the Life Satisfaction and Abuse of the Primary Caregiver for Children in a Relationship

Abstract

This study investigated relationships between primary caregivers’ life satisfaction and abuse mediated by children’s life satisfaction. We included term panel data for 3 years (2013-2015) from the 4th year to the 6th year of 2,067 children in the first grade of elementary school of the Korean Youth and Youth Panel(KCYPS)(2015); in addition, three years’ longitudinal panel data (2013-2015) were analyzed utilizing SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 22.0 to measure Latent Growth Model(LGM) term relationships between variables. Analysis results were as follows. First, the life satisfaction of the primary caregiver, the life satisfaction of the child, and abuse gradually decreased from the fourth grade to the sixth grade. Second, the initial status of primary caregivers’ life satisfaction influenced the initial status of the children’s life satisfaction, and the initial status and change in the abuse rate. Third, the rate of change of life satisfaction of the primary caregiver did not have a significant effect on the change in the abuse rate and the rate of change of life satisfaction of the child. The initial value of the life satisfaction of the child played a partial mediating role in the relationship between the initial value of the life satisfaction of the primary caregiver, initial value of the abuse, and abuse change rate. The results suggest that a program to improve the life satisfaction of the 4th grade elementary school should be developed and applied.