Parent’s Mental Health and its Association with their Children’s Aggression and Delinquency

Objectives: The objective of the current study was to examine parent’s level of depressive symptoms, education level, and their association with their child’s aggression and delinquency level. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Using Mplus, path analysis was conducted using the most current 2014 Korean Welfare Panel Study data (KWPS) including a total of 471 adolescents’ cases. Parents’ depressive level was measured using the CES-D 11 scale, parent’s education level, parents’ positive and negative parenting style based on their level of physical, emotional abuse, and neglect experience in children, and children’s aggression and delinquency level were also examined. Findings: Overall, the results showed a satisfactory model fit [(Model χ² (22) = 272.37 p<.001, CMIN/d.f. = 12.38, CFI = .992, TLI = .987, RMSEA = .020)]. The CFI value obtained in the current study was .992, indicating that the hypothesized model well fits the data. The RMSEA value was .02, which also indicates a very good fit (< .05). TLI value of .987 also supported the notion of a good fit. There was a positive relationship between mother’s education level and positive parenting, while father’s education level had no effect on parenting styles. As expected, positive parenting was associated with less aggression and delinquency. As for parents’ level of depressive symptoms, against the expectation, there was no direct impact on parenting and children’s aggression or delinquency. In short, the findings suggest the importance of parenting, rather than the existence of mental issue itself in parents. Improvements/Applications: Future research should study individuals with actual clinical diagnosis, measure level of care management, and obtain more diverse and accurate operationalization of emotional or behavioral problems in children.