The Impact of Maternal Life Satisfaction on Adolescent Depression: The Sequential Mediating Roles of Achievement Pressure and Family Communication

This study investigates the sequential dual-mediating effects of adolescents’ perceived achievement pressure and family communication in the relationship between mothers’ life satisfaction and adolescents’ depression. Data from 1,178 participants (51.2% boys and 48.8% girls) from the 15th (2nd year of middle school) and 16th (3rd year of middle school) waves of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC) were analyzed using PROCESS macro for SPSS (Model 6). The results of this study are as follows. First, mothers’ life satisfaction had no direct effect on adolescents’ depression; however, it exerted an indirect effect via achievement pressure and family communication. Second, the sequential dual-mediation pathway, through which mothers’ life satisfaction influenced adolescents’ depression via achievement pressure and family communication, was statistically significant.These findings suggest that mothers’ psychological well-being serves as a key protective factor in adolescents’ mental health by reducing achievement-oriented parental pressure and promoting positive family communication. This study offers practical implications by indicating that both parental self-care and familylevel communication interventions are warranted to prevent adolescent depression.