This study examined the effects of maternal parenting behavior, relationships with friends, and relationships with teachers on the subjective well-being of children in late childhood. A total of 299 fifth and sixth grade students at elementary school ...
This study examined the effects of maternal parenting behavior, relationships with friends, and relationships with teachers on the subjective well-being of children in late childhood. A total of 299 fifth and sixth grade students at elementary school (141 boys and 158 girls) participated in this study. The subjects completed questionnaires on maternal parenting behavior, relationships with friends, relationships with teachers, and their subjective well-being. The data were analyzed by means of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results are as follows. First, maternal parenting behavior was found to have a direct effect on children’s subjective well-being. Second, maternal parenting behavior was seen to have an indirect effect on children’s subjective well-being through their relationships with friends. Third, maternal parenting behavior was found to have an indirect effect on children’s subjective well-being through their relationships with their teachers. The findings from this study suggest that relationships factors established in both family and school need to be considered together in order to explain children’s subjective well-being. In addition, this study emphasizes the relative importance of maternal parenting behavior in improving the subjective well-being of school-aged children, as compared to the relationships with both their friends and their teachers at school.