The Effects of Family Structure on Children's Emotional and Behavioural Problems

가족 구조가 아동의 정서·행동 문제에 미치는 영향에 관한 일 연구

This study was designed to examine the effects of family structure (nuclear, extended family) on children's behavioral and emotional problems. The subjects of this study were 650 primary school children aged 8 to 13 living in Seoul and Incheon (324 from nuclear and 326 from extended families). The Children's Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ: Rutter, 1970) and a questionnaire containing demographic questions and some additional questions were used for instruments. For the analyses, frequencies, descriptives, chi-square, factor analysis, and t-test were used. The results were analysed and explained in their cut-off points, prevalences, differences and factor structures. The cut-off score obtained in this study was 18, and the prevalences with this cut-off score were 6.3% in total subjects, 8.0% in nuclear families, and 4.6% in extended families. The children from extended families showed less behavioral and emotional problems, especially antisocial behaviours, compared with those from nuclear families, and this difference was significant (p<.05). The factor structures of the CBQ were 'antisocial', 'neurotic', 'mannerism' and 'speech' in total subjects, and, in the case of nuclear families, the factor structures were same as in total subjects, but, in the case of extended families, the 'emotional anxiety' factor was included instead of the 'speech' factor.