The present study attempted to examine the effects of parents-children communication patterns on their children's self-esteem. The purpose of the study was to serve as basic data for promoting communications between parents and their children in a way...
The present study attempted to examine the effects of parents-children communication patterns on their children's self-esteem. The purpose of the study was to serve as basic data for promoting communications between parents and their children in a way that enhances self-esteem.
A survey was conducted to 473 students (154 boys, 279 girls) in four middle schools located in Hongseong-gun, Choongnam province. Collected data were statistically processed using the SPSS Win. program with the frequency analysis, reliability analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and regression analysis.
The result of the study is as follows;
First, there seems to be a significant difference in the communication patterns depending on grade, standard of living, and the time spent in having conversation with parents on weekdays.
More specifically, the first-grade students tend to have more open communication with their parents than the second or third graders.
A significant difference was also found in the communication patterns depending on the family standard of living. The adolescents whose living standards are in upper-middle level tend to have open communications with their mothers, while those having higher living standards reveal problematic communication patterns. There is also a significant difference in the communication patterns depending on the conversation times with father on weekdays. Conversations with father for 2 hours on weekdays seem to facilitate open communications. In addition, the conversation time with mother more than 2 hours on weekdays seems to make the same result: open communication.
Second, self-esteem levels by the different variables were also considered. Gender seems to make a difference in self-esteem: in general, girls than boys have higher scores in self-esteem while boys have higher scores in assumed ego. Besides, conversation time with father on weekdays makes a significant difference in the self-esteem of the adolescents, especially in their assumed ego, for which the scores were highest in the children who have conversations with their fathers for more than 2 hours. There is also a significant difference in self-esteem depending on the conversation time with mother on weekdays, especially in assumed ego. When the children have conversations with their mothers for more than 2 hours, they tend to have highest scores in assumed ego.
Third, a positive correlation was found between open communications with both father and mother and the self-esteem of children : when their fathers and mothers maintain open communications with them, their overall self-esteem, general ego and assumed ego are higher.
Fourth, the level of a general ego of the adolescents seems to be lower when mothers have problematic communications with their children.
In conclusion, when parents-children communications are performed in more open patterns, the tendencies of problematic communications are lower and the children's self-esteem seems to be higher.