What Makes Korean Youth Happy: Self-Directedness Mediates the Relationship between Parenting and Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

Korean adolescents have a lower subjective well-being compared to their counterparts in other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries as well as experience more psychological difficulties than adults. Previous research shows that parenting behavior has a considerable influence on adolescent subjective well-being. Additionally, the personality dimension of self-directedness, the ability to regulate personal behavior to obtain onindividual goals, has a positive influence on subjective well-being. This study analyzed the structural relationship between parenting behavior, self-directedness, and the subjective well-being of Korean adolescents as well as investigated the mediating effect of self-directedness in the relationships between parenting behaviors and the subjective well-being of adolescents. Participants were 325 middle school students in Gwangju, Korea, who completed measures of self-directedness (from the Korean Junior Temperament and Character Inventory), subjective well-being (Well-Being Scale of Adolescents in Korea), and perceived parenting behaviors (My Memories of Upbringing - Short Korean version). Results showed that emotional warmth had a statistically significant direct impact on adolescents’ subjective well-being. However, the findings also indicated a statistically significant indirect impact mediated by self-directedness. Rejection and overprotection had a statistically significant indirect effect on adolescents’ subjective well-being that was mediated by self-directedness. The results provide information that can be used to develop programs to improve the subjective well-being of adolescents as well as confirm the importance of parenting behavior and self-directedness during adolescence.