A Structural Analysis of the Relationship between Peer Attachment, Social Withdrawal, Depression, and School Adjustment

Abstract

This study was conducted to analyze the relationship between adolescents’ peer attachment, social withdrawal, depression, and school adjustment. We used structural equation modelling to analyze data on a total of 2,231 3rd-year junior high school students. The data were drawn from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2012 conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute. The main results of study were as follows. First, while peer attachment and depression had a direct impact on adolescents’ school adjustment, social withdrawal was not directly related to school adjustment. Second, peer attachment and social withdrawal had a direct effect on depression, and peer attachment directly influenced social withdrawal. Third, the effect of peer attachment on school adjustment was confirmed by the double mediation effect of social depression and depression. These results showed the necessity of interventions in social withdrawal and depression in order to enhance adolescents’s school adjustment. Based on the results of the study, we suggest social welfare interventions that can enhance the peer attachment and reduce social withdrawal and depression to improve adolescents’ school adjustment