This study investigated how academic stress and media device addiction mediate the relationship between parental pressure for academic achievement and life satisfaction among sixth-grade elementary school children. Data from the 13th wave (2020) of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), which included 1,354 parent-child pairs, were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 for descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, and AMOS 23.0 for structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that parental pressure for academic achievement significantly increased both academic stress and media device addiction, while negatively affecting life satisfaction. Academic stress was found to significantly influence media device addiction and life satisfaction; however, the direct link between media device addiction and life satisfaction was not statistically significant. The results confirmed that academic stress significantly mediated the relationship between parental pressure and life satisfaction, although the dual mediating path involving media device addiction was not supported. These findings suggest that excessive parental pressure regarding academic achievement diminishes children's well-being, with academic stress acting as a crucial mediator. Additionally, the use of media devices may serve as a maladaptive coping mechanism for academic stress, indirectly affecting life satisfaction. The study highlights the need for parental education and improvements in the environment to reduce academic stress and enhance children's quality of life.
Park et al. (Thu,) studied this question.