The Relationship between Cognitive Appraisal of Stress in Daily Life and Adaptation to It in South Korean Children Who Have Experienced Parental Divorce

Abstract

The current study aims to analyze the relationship between cognitive appraisal of stress related to daily life and adaptation to this stress for South Korean children who have experienced the divorce of their parents. Researchers mailed surveys to 322 children (from the fourth grade in elementary school to the last year in high school) from ten South Korean cities who agreed to participate (144 valid responses). The study reviewed basic characteristics of the subjects (sex, age, and age at the time of the parental divorce), cognitive appraisal of stress in daily life, and adaptation to it. In the statistical analysis, a causal model was assumed with the subjects’ cognitive appraisal of stress in daily life as the independent variable, and adaptation as the dependent variable. The adequacy of the data was reviewed using structural equation modeling. As a result, the adequacy of the data for the causal relationship model was 0.954 for CFI and 0.039 for RMSEA. This result indicated the importance of resolving problems associated with stress related to daily life, and as such, the discussion section talks about desirable intervention directions that prioritizes children’s rights.