Objective: This study was conducted to verify the mediating effects of mother-child interaction and interactive peer play on the relationship between maternal depression and behavioral problems during early school age.
Methods: This study analyzed date from 1,023 cases from the Korean Child’s Panel Survey from 2009 to 2014. The model was tested using the SPSS and AMOS programs.
Results: First, maternal depression had a direct effects on mother-child interaction, and behavioral problems during early school age, but had no effect on interactive peer play. Second, mother-child interaction mediated the influence of maternal depression on interactive peer play. Third, mother-child interaction had a direct impact on interactive peer play, and behavioral problems. Finally, maternal depression partially mediated the effect of mother-child interaction, while mother-child interaction had a serial multiple mediating effect on behavioral problem which was mediated by interactive peer play.
Conclusion: The higher the maternal depression, the lower mother-child interaction, which subsequently led to a decrease in interactive peer play. This, in turn, had a negative impact on behavioral problems during early school age. In addition, this study found that mother-child interactions enhance interactive peer play and reduce behavioral problems.