The Effects of Maternal Psychological Control and the Disparity between Children`s Temperament and Mothers` Demand Level on Children`s Behavior Problems

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal psychological control and the disparity between childrenu0027s temperament and mothersu0027 demand level on childrenu0027s externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. The participants of this study were 221 children aged 4 to 5 and their mothers from three kindergartens located in Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do. To measure childrenu0027s behavior problems, the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales were used. Maternal psychological control was assessed by the Psychological Control Scale-Youth Self-Report. The Revised Dimension of Temperament Survey and DOTS-R: ethnotheory was used, to measure the disparity between childrenu0027s temperament and mothersu0027 demand level. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, t-test and hierarchical regression analysis. The results of this study were as follows. First, both for boys and girls, the disparity between childrenu0027s activity temperament and mothersu0027 demand level had a negative effect on externalizing behavior problems. However, maternal psychological control had no significant effect on externalizing behavior problems both for boys and girls. Second, for boys, the high level of maternal psychological control and the disparity between childrenu0027s adaptive temperament and mothersu0027 demand level had a negative effect on internalizing behavior problems. However, for girls, such effects were not significant.