2021, Vol.34, No.1

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

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

Although insecure attachment has been recognized as a major risk factor for depression, its mechanisms predicting depression in the emerging adulthood has been relatively unexplored. Therefore, this study examined the effects of the dimensions of perceived childhood attachement(i.e., attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance) on the levels of depression in a sample of college students, focusing on the role of depressive experience style as a mediator. A total of 200 participants(74 males, 126 females) completed self-report questionnaires assessing attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, dependency, self-criticism, and depression. Results of path analysis indicated that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance positively predicted depression, and these associations were fully mediated by the self-criticism factor of depressive experience style. Conversely, the dependency factor of depressive experience style did not significantly mediate the relationship between the dimensions of attachment and depression. This study empirically investigated the mechanisms by which perceived childhood attachment may contribute to the development of depression in the emerging adulthood through the depressive experience style. Our findings also offer practical implications in terms of providing promising targets for preventive interventions and treatments for depression.

The goals of the current study were to examine different profiles of perceived relational support, whether individuals’ age, gender, and levels of self-concept are associated with different profiles of perceived relational support, and whether levels of prosocial behavior, aggression, and anxious solitary behavior differ between different profiles of perceived relational support among early adolescents. Longitudinal data of 714 upper elementary school students' self-reported perceptions of relational support and social behavior were used. The results of the latent profile analysis (LPA) confirmed four latent class models: Low Relational Support, Moderate Relational Support, Peer-Oriented Support, and High Relational Support. The findings indicated that levels of social self-concept are associated with different profiles of perceived relational support, and being in a profile of High Relational Support is associated with positive social behavior. These findings emphasize the need to focus on perceived relational support at a more individualized level.

This study examined how drawing attention to recipients’ emotional and physical characteristics influenced the sharing behavior of Korean adults and children. Adults and 5- to 6-year-old children were asked to think about recipients’ emotions or physical characteristics before they allocate their resources in a dictator game. Participants in the emotional condition, participants were asked to think about the recipient’s feelings, whereas those in the physical characteristics condition were asked to think about the size of the recipient’s hand. The adults and 5- to 6-year-old children in the emotional condition both allocated significantly more stickers to the recipients than did the participants in the physical characteristics condition. This result suggests that drawing attention to recipients’ emotions promoted prosociality in resource sharing among both adults and 5- to 6-year-old children.