Human Ecology Research

The Korean Home Economics Association (대한가정학회)
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Effects of Household Chaos on Preschoolers' Aggression and Prosocial Behavior: Sleep Problems and Executive Function as Mediators

가정 내 혼란이 유아의 공격성과 친사회적 행동에 미치는 영향: 수면문제와 실행기능의 매개효과

  • Bomi Lee (Department of Child Development & Intervention, Ewha Womans University) ;
  • Jeeun Noh (E-learning Center, Chung-Ang University) ;
  • Nana Shin (Departmnet of Child Development & Intervention, Ewha Womans University)
  • 이보미 (이화여자대학교 아동학과) ;
  • 노지운 (중앙대학교 원격교육지원센터) ;
  • 신나나 (이화여자대학교 아동학과)
  • Received : 2022.12.06
  • Accepted : 2023.01.14
  • Published : 2023.02.28
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Abstract

Household chaos, represented by high levels of disorganization and instability in the home, has been linked with suboptimal outcomes for preschoolers. The aim of this study was to examine the roles that sleep problems and executive function play in the association between household chaos and preschoolers' aggression and prosocial behavior. The sample for the study consisted of 420 preschoolers and their mothers. The mothers provided reports on the level of chaos in the home and their preschoolers' sleep problems, executive function, and social behavior, including aggression and prosocial behavior. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling. When preschoolers' sleep problems and executive function were included in the model as mediators, the results indicated that household chaos did not have direct effects on preschoolers' aggression and prosocial behavior. Such effects were instead serially mediated by preschoolers' sleep problems and executive function, respectively. The higher the degree of household chaos, the more preschoolers displayed sleep problems and deficits in executive function, resulting in more aggression and less prosocial behavior. The findings from this study emphasize the significance of reducing household chaos in order to reduce preschoolers' aggression and promote prosocial behavior. They also underscore the need to identify additional variables that mediate the impact of household chaos on preschoolers' social outcomes.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF2017S1A5A8021400).

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