The role of negative parenting on mental distress among South Korean youth

This study examined the relationship between negative parenting and mental distress among South Korean youth. Mental distress, disturbingly high among South Korean youth, compromises healthy development. Using the negative parenting conceptual model known as ABCDG (Abusive, Burdening, Culturally Disjointed, Disengaged, and Gender Prescriptive) parenting, this study examined the relationships using cross-sectional survey data from community samples of South Korean youth in middle and high schools (N = 517; M_AGE = 14.98, SD = 1.45). The measurement model demonstrated an excellent fit of the ABCDG measures among the sample. Multivariate regression analyses showed that each ABCDG parenting subdomain was significantly associated with different types of mental distress. For example, abusive and disengaged parenting was associated with more depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation and remained powerful when other subdomains and covariates were accounted for. Burdening parenting that demands personal sacrifices of children to maintain familial harmony was particularly influential in suicidal and self-harming behaviors. Pressure to succeed, another burdening parenting subdomain, was not associated with mental distress. Culturally disjointed as well as gender prescriptive parenting was mainly associated with more depressive symptoms. The results confirmed both universally harmful parenting and culturally nuanced forms of burdening parenting. Practice implications are discussed.