Effects of Childhood Stressful Life Events on Subjective Well-being in Adulthood ; Focusing on the roles of self-esteem and social support

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of childhood stressful life events on subjective well-being in adulthood based on the stress process model. In addition, the study investigates the roles of ones internal and external resources, specifically self-esteem and social support, in the relationship between childhood stressful life events and subjective well-being in adulthood. Well-being is an inevitable factor for happier and healthier lives, and thus an important value in the field of social welfare. Unfortunately, the World Happiness Report 2022 overtly presents the poor subjective well-being score of Korea with the rank of 36th among 38 OECD countries. Considering Koreas high rank in the Human Development Index, which measures income, education, and health, it can be inferred that mental health in Korea falls short compared to the countrys prosperity in other areas. Despite the Korean governments various efforts to strengthen mental health, the score of subjective well-being is still in the decline. Therefore, there is a need to study the factors of subjective well-being at a broader perspective. As a result, this study focused on childhood stressful life events as one of the factors affecting subjective well-being in adulthood as childhood experiences can have a vast impact on mental health outcomes in adulthood. In addition, the study scrutinizes the mechanism behind the dynamic process between childhood stressful life events, subjective well-being in adulthood, and ones internal and external resources, specifically self-esteem and social support. In order to address the purpose of the study, the research questions are as follows. Firstly, do childhood stressful life events affect subjective well-being in adulthood? Secondly, does self-esteem mediate the effects of childhood stressful life events on subjective well-being in adulthood? Thirdly, does social support mediate the effects of childhood stressful life events on subjective well-being in adulthood? Fourthly, does self-esteem moderate the ...