The Effect of Mother's Facilitative Communication on Children's Social Adjustment and the Mediating Effect of Self-Regulation

어머니의 촉진적 의사소통이 아동의 사회적 적응에 미치는 영향과 자기조절 능력의 매개효과

This study investigated the relationship between maternal facilitative communication perceived by children and the social adjustment which was measured as pro-social behaviors and aggressive behaviors in children. Special attention was given to the mediating effect of the child's self-regulation on the relationship. The subjects, selected by convenience sampling method, were 193 fourth and fifth grade elementary school students. Data was analyzed through Pearson's correlation, reliability analysis, and multiple regression using the SPSS 12.0. The findings of the study were as follows. First, the mother's facilitative communication perceived by the child was positively associated with the pro-social behavior, while, it was negatively correlated with the aggressive behavior of the child. Second, the mother's facilitative communication had direct effect on the prosocial behavior and the aggressive behavior of the child. Third, the direct impact of facilitative communication on social adjustment was mediated by the self-regulation variable. Based on these findings, this study proposes strategies for the improvement of children's adjustment during late childhood.