The problem and the aim of the study. Parental abuse has been linked to increased aggression in adolescents, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. This study aims to examine both the mediating role of depression and the moderated mediation effect of self-esteem in the pathway from parental abuse to adolescent aggression. Focusing on middle school students, the study seeks to provide foundational data for preventing maladjustment during adolescence by identifying how depression contributes to aggression and how self-esteem can buffer this negative psychological pathway. Understanding these mechanisms can inform targeted mental health interventions and promote healthier developmental outcomes for at-risk youth.
Research methods. Data from 1,326 first-year middle school students participating in the 14th wave of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC) were analyzed. This longitudinal study tracks children born in 2008 annually. Reliability analysis, descriptive statistics, frequency analysis were conducted using SPSS Win 24.0. In addition, mediation, and moderated mediation effects were tested using SPSS PROCESS macro version 4.2 (Models 4, and 8). Bootstrapping analysis with a sample size of 5,000 and a 95% confidence interval was conducted using the mean and three levels of self-esteem (M, M ± 1SD). To minimize multicollinearity, the independent and moderator variables were mean-centered prior to the analysis.
Results. First, adolescents reported low levels of parental abuse (M=1.144/5), aggression (M=1.059/6), and depression (M=1.469/4), but relatively high self-esteem (M=3.191/4). Second, depression was found to partially mediate the relationship between parental abuse and adolescent aggression, highlighting depressive symptoms as a key psychological pathway linking adverse experiences to externalizing behaviors, as indicated by a 95% confidence interval excluding zero (Effect = .021, CI [.009, .039]). Third, the moderated mediation analysis revealed that adolescent self-esteem significantly buffered the impact of parental abuse on aggression. The overall model was significant (F = 31.704, p < .001), Parental abuse had a positive effect on aggression (Coefficient = 0.086, p < .001), but this effect was significantly attenuated by the interaction with self-esteem (Coefficient = -0.098, p < .001), indicating that self-esteem moderates the impact of parental abuse on adolescent aggression. Moreover, the indirect effect of parental abuse on aggression through depression remained significant across all levels of self-esteem, confirming a moderated mediation effect.
Conclusion. The findings indicate that parental abuse influences adolescent aggression through depression, and that self-esteem buffers this negative effect. These results highlight the importance of interventions addressing abuse alongside efforts to enhance self-esteem and emotional resilience to prevent aggression in adolescents.
Keywords: parental abuse, depression, aggression, self-esteem, moderated mediation effect
For Citation: Lee, H. K., Kim, Y. J. (2026). The Moderated Mediation Effect of Self-Esteem on the Relationship between Parental Abuse, Depression, and Aggression. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovania = Perspectives of Science and Education, (1), 573–584. https://doi.org/10.32744/pse.2026.1.35
Authors:
Hye Kyung Lee (Republic of Korea, Seosan) — Doctoral Student, Department of Child and Adolescent Counseling Psychology. Hanseo University (Republic of Korea). E mail: kyoung6121@hanmail.net
Yun Jeong Kim (Republic of Korea, Seosan) — Corresponding Author. Professor, Department of Social Welfare. Hanseo University. E-mail: twoyun21@hanmail.net
© Hye Kyung Lee, Yun Jeong Kim, 2026
The author’s declared no conflicts of interest
Received: 19 July 2025 | Approved: 23 September 2025 | Published: 28 February 2026
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