Abstract

This study investigates social environmental factors which influence children's affective and behavioral adjustment from low-income families. The children are 247 boys and girls aged 9-19 years coming from social welfare families in Seoul metropolitan area. As major familial factors, the effects of family breakup and marital discord are compared. That is, the adverse influence of unconventional family vs, conflict-ridden family on their offspring's development is assessed. The unconventional family is one that at: least one of the parents does not live with their children. Maladjustment is indicated by the degree of depression, anxiety, and delinquent behaviors. Parental supervision and children's academic achievement are measured as mediators. As a result, marital discord rather than family structure is a more effective predictor for children's maladjustment. Malevolent marital relationship associates more strongly with children's depression, anxiety, and delinquency than family breakup does. However, it is suggested from the unexpected weak association of family breakup in low-income families that family breakup in extremely low-class could work as a negative reinforces to family members because the existent adverse factors within family, such as marital conflict, family violence, drug abuse, alcoholism, et al., are got rid of with family breakup. In case of delinquency criterion, low predictability of discord and family breakup on delinquency is a presumed result supposed by the left-side skewedness of the distribution of delinquent behaviors.