Relationships Between Young Children’s Temperament and Peer Play Behaviors: Moderating Effects of Maternal Warm Parenting

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of young children’s temperament and maternal parenting behaviors on peer play behaviors. Specifically, this study tested the main effects of children’s temperament (emotionality, activity, and sociability) and maternal warm and controlling parenting behaviors on each subtype of peer play behavior (play interaction, play disruption, and play disconnection), and examined whether maternal parenting behaviors moderated the associations between children’s temperament and peer play behaviors. Data were drawn from the fourth wave of the Panel Study on Korean Children and included 1,694 three-year-old children and their mothers. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. The main findings were as follows. First, for play interaction, children’s activity and sociability and maternal warm and controlling parenting behaviors showed significant main effects, and maternal warm parenting behavior moderated the association between children’s activity and play interaction; the positive association was stronger when maternal warmth was higher. Second, for play disruption, significant main effects were found for children’s emotionality and maternal warm parenting behavior, and maternal warmth also moderated the association between children’s emotionality and play disruption; the positive association was stronger when maternal warmth was higher. Third, for play disconnection, significant main effects were supported for children’s three temperament dimensions and maternal warm parenting behavior, whereas no moderating effects were identified. Finally, these findings suggest that parent education should strengthen content that reflects children’s temperament characteristics and emphasize the importance of maternal warmth as well as clear behavioral guidance and limit-setting to promote positive peer interactions.