Multiple Mediating Effects of Conflicts With Parents and Self-Esteem on the Relationship Between Economic Status and Depression Among Middle School Students Since COVID-19

Jaewon Lee; Hyejung Lim; Jennifer Allen; Gyuhyun Choi

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.712219

Multiple Mediating Effects of Conflicts With Parents and Self-Esteem on the Relationship Between Economic Status and Depression Among Middle School Students Since COVID-19

Front Psychol. 2021 Jul 20:12:712219. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.712219. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jaewon Lee¹, Hyejung Lim², Jennifer Allen³, Gyuhyun Choi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Social Welfare, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea.
² School of Education, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.
³ School of Social Work, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.
⁴ Integrative Arts Therapy, Dongduk Women's University, Seoul, South Korea.

Abstract

This study explores associations between perceived economic status and depression among middle school students during COVID-19 in the context of conflict with parents and self-esteem. Data were collected in South Korea in the fall of 2020. A total of 328 middle school students were included, and a multiple mediator model was employed to examine the multiple mediating effects. Middle schoolers' household economic status was negatively associated with their conflict with parents. Conflict with parents was negatively related to middle school students' self-esteem. Indirect effects of perceived economic status via conflict with parents were significantly associated with depression. The indirect effect of perceived economic status via both conflict with parents and self-esteem was related to depression. Government subsidies should temporarily be expanded to improve households' economic status to potentially improve middle school students' depression and to enhance relationships between children and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, extra financial support from the government should be focused on poor households with children in order to address family conflict, self-esteem, and depression among middle school students.

Keywords: conflicts with parents; depression; economic status; middle school students; multiple mediating effects; self-esteem.