School adjustment and academic performance: influences of the interaction frequency with mothers versus fathers and the mediating role of parenting behaviours

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of parent-child interaction frequency on children's school adjustment and academic performance in the first year of elementary school. The study also investigates the mediating effect of parents' warm and controlling behaviours on these relations. The data were obtained from the Panel Study on Korean Children. Eighth year data were analysed to investigate the children's school adjustment and academic performance (N = 1579). Fathers' warm behaviours mediated the relations between father-child interaction frequency and the child's school adjustment and academic performance. Mothers' controlling behaviours mediated the relations between mother-child interaction frequency and the children's academic performance. Also, there were the actor effect and partner effect of mother-child and father-child interaction frequency on the warm parenting behaviours of mothers and fathers. The different roles of fathers' warm behaviours and mothers' controlling behaviours were discussed, along with other significant mediation paths.