The Relations of Maternal Childrearing Behaviors and Peer Experiences to Children's Self-Esteem

어머니의 양육행동 및 또래 경험과 아동의 자아존중감간의 관계

The relationships of maternal childrearing behaviors and peer experiences to children's self-esteem were examined with a sample of 433 5th- and 6th-grade elementary school students (236 boys and 197 girls) and their mothers. Children answered the questionnaires on peer experience (victimization by peers and peer aggression) and self-esteem, and their mothers answered the questionnaires on maternal childrearing behaviors. Maternal warmth was significantly related to children's self-esteem both in boys and girls. The warmer their mothers, the higher the children's self-esteem. Maternal permissiveness/nonintervention was related to self-esteem only in boys; the more permissive/nonintervention the mothers, the lower the boys self-esteem. Peer experiences (victimization by peers and peer aggression) were significantly related to self-esteem both in boys and girls; the more victimization by peers and peer aggression, the lower their self-esteem. Maternal warmth was related to victimization by peers only in girls; the warmer the mothers, the less victimization by peers experienced by girls. The effect of maternal warmth on self-esteem was mediated by victimization by peers for girls, which indicates that maternal warmth doesn't have a direct influence but an indirect influence on victimization by peers of children. Victimization by peers was related to peer aggression both in boys and girls. The more victimization by peers they experienced, the more peer aggression they showed.