The Effects of Parental Attachment, Peer Attachment, and Teacher Attachment on Children’s Happiness in Elementary School Students in Higher Grades：With a Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Self-Regulation Abilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of self-regulation abilities on the relationships between parental attachment, peer attachment, teacher attachment and children`s happiness in elementary school students in higher grades. The subjects of this study were selected from 4th-6th grade students residing in Dae-gu and Kyung-buk using questionnaires from May 1st to July 1st in 2014. The statistical analysis program(SPSS) was used for analyzing the collected data from the research in correlation analysis. To examine the mediating effects of self-regulation abilities on the relationship between parental attachment, peer attachment and teacher attachment and children`s happiness, the Baron and Kenny(1986) model was used.. The results are as follows. First, in the case of father attachment, mother attachment, peer attachment, and teacher attachment, self-regulation abilities and children`s happiness, as perceived by higher grade elementary school children positive correlations were observed. Second, in terms of relative effects of father attachment, mother attachment, peer attachment and teacher attachment on children`s happiness, mother attachment was observed to have the most effect on children`s happiness. Third, self-regulation abilities, as perceived by the children, mediated the effect of father attachment, mother attachment, peer attachment, and teacher attachment amongst higher grade elementary school students and the subsequent affect on children`s happiness.