2015, Vol.28, No.4

THE KOREAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.67

pISSN : 1229-0718 / eISSN : 2671-6542
https://journal.kci.go.kr/baldal

The present study investigated the mediating effects of 650 adolescents' online self-disclosure on the association between personality traits, attachment, and changes to family and online peer relationships. Longitudinal data were collected, end-to-end, in three sessions over a 6-month (on average) period from December 2011 to February 2013. Latent growth curve modeling analyses conducted in AMOS 20.0 were used. As a result, for Group A (friends) of online self-disclosure, it examined not only the direct association between adolescents’ openness and changes to family intimacy, as well as an indirect effect on changes to online friendships. Attachment anxiety manifested positive changes to family and online peer relationships through continual online self-disclosure with close peers. However, attachment avoidance predicted a negative effect on changes to family intimacy and online friendships. For Group C (distant acquaintances) in terms of online self-disclosure, adolescents’ neuroticism positively predicted changes to family intimacy and online relationship quality if online self-disclosure was continuous. Furthermore, adolescents’ conscientiousness directly affected changes to online friendship quality. However, attachment avoidance negatively affected changes to family intimacy. These results counter previous studies claiming that a strong affinity for peers aggravates parent-child relationships during adolescence. Instead, the present findings indicate that adolescents’ online communication can positively affect family conflicts, suggesting that active online self-disclosure is beneficial to both family and online peer relationships.

The current study aimed to enhance our understanding regarding the characteristics of victims of bullying. We examined how relationships between shyness, self-regulation, and gender were associated with peer victimization among 305 adolescents. Peer victimization was divided into two facets: overt and relational victimization. Results revealed that a three-way interaction between shyness, self-regulation, and gender was significant on overt victimization. For boys, high levels of shyness and low levels of self-regulation significantly predicted high levels of victimization. For girls, low levels of shyness and self-regulation significantly predicted high levels of victimization. Results showed the main effects of shyness, self-regulation and gender on relational victimization. No three-way interaction between shyness, self-regulation, and gender on relational peer victimization was observed.

The present study examined the effects of spiritual well-being and self-esteem on high school students' adjustment to school life. Several studies have examined the relationship between self-esteem and school adjustment among children and adolescents, whereas little research has assessed how spiritual (religious and existential) well-being affects school life adjustment. Results of the present study were as follows: (1) high school students scoring high on a measure of existential well-being were able to adjust to school life better than those with lower scores while religious well-being either did not influence school adjustment or was associated with deteriorated adjustment; (2) while students with high self-esteem adjusted to school life better than those with low self-esteem, those with high self-esteem tended to obtain lower scores on a measure of following school regulations; and (3) several demographic variables (e.g., academic record, grade, gender, and father’s education level) significantly influenced students' school adjustment. These results suggest that it is important to include elements intended to enhance existential well-being, as well as self-esteem, when developing educational programs for improving adolescents' school adjustment. Implications for these findings are further discussed.