Fathers’ indirect contribution to children’s social-emotional development via mothers’ psychological parenting environments

• Jihyun Kim

  Myongji University

• Jung Min Kim

  Catholic University of Daegu

We sought to determine whether fathers’ play participation exerted an indirect effect on young children’s social-emotional development by supporting mothers’ psychological parenting environments of depression, parenting stress, and parenting efficacy. We also identified differences by family income. Mothers responded to all measures. We sampled 72 low-income and 201 higher income Korean mothers with 3- to 5-year-old children. The results showed that fathers in higher income families indirectly contributed to young children’s social-emotional development through their effect on mothers’ depression and parenting stress, and fathers in low-income families indirectly contributed through their effect on mothers’ depression, parenting stress, and parenting efficacy. Practical implications for improving young children’s social-emotional development in each family income group are discussed.

1. Jihyun Kim, Myongji University
   Department of Child Development and Education
2. Jung Min Kim, Catholic University of Daegu
   Department of Child Studies

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