The purpose of this study is to find out how affective behavior problems by advantaged children is different from those by disadvantaged children, what family factors cause those problems and how family factors influence children's affective behavior problems.
The survey is carried out targeting fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students from two elementary schools in Jinju. 150 students who are supported by the government for a living or having low-income parents are chosen for disadvantaged children and besides them, 150 students for advantaged children.
According to this study, disadvantaged children is found to have low self-esteem and more affective behavior problems related to being intimidated, depressing anxiety, misdeeds, and aggression, compared with advantaged children. Secondly, the study of the effects of family factors causing affective behavior problems based on multiple regression analysis reveals that advantaged children feel intimidated when parents are indifferent to them and disadvantaged children do the same when parents are in medical danger. In terms of depressing anxiety, advantaged children are influenced by the way their parents communicate and their rejecting and oppressive attitudes in raising while no family factors influence disadvantaged children. Family factors such as parents' indifference, lack of communication, and oppressive raising attitudes hurt advantaged children's self-esteem whereas parents' indifference is the only factor which influences disadvantaged children' self-esteem. Advantaged children committing misdeeds are not influenced by any family factor while disadvantaged ones are affected by lack of parents' trust, care, and communication. Regarding aggression, conflicts between parents and oppressive raising attitudes affects advantaged children while parents in medical danger and their low social status affects disadvantaged children.
In summary, family factors contributing to advantaged children's affective behavior problems are sub-variables mainly related to lack of psychological bond in family and raising attitudes. On the other hand, disadvantaged children' problems are influenced by not only lack of psychological bond in family, but also the situation where parents are in medical danger and on low social status. From this perspective, advantaged children's problems will be solved if their parents' roles and raising attitudes are changed, while the government's efforts to relieve disadvantaged children's problems which come from poverty are necessary. Therefore, the government should increase budget for child welfare and support local child centers or after school programs by the education welfare project for the priority region, which are beneficial for disadvantaged children.
Finally, this study is significant for children's sound development by helping parents understand and intervene in children's affective behavior problems, and encouraging to control family factors contributing to those problems.