The Moderating Role of Peer Play Disruption in the Longitudinal Association Between Home Environment Quality and Children’s Happiness

This study investigated the long-term effects of home environment quality on the happiness of young children and whether peer play disruption moderates this relationship. Data were collected from the 5th to 7th waves of the Korean Child Panel(N=1,100), tracking children from ages 4 to 6. Home environment quality at age 4 was assessed through direct observation using the Early Childhood HOME Inventory, while peer play disruption at age 5 was rated by teachers, children’s happiness at age 6 was measured through structured interviews. Moderation analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0 and PROCESS Macro 4.2(Model 1). The results indicated that higher home environment quality significantly predicted greater happiness two years later, whereas increased peer play disruption was associated with lower happiness. A significant interaction revealed that the positive long-term effect of a high-quality home environment on happiness was evident only when peer play disruption was low or average, but not when it was high. These findings emphasize that both family and peer contexts collectively influence children’s emotional well-being over time. Even a supportive home environment may lose its protective effect when children face persistent peer isolation. This underscores the importance of early interventions that promote inclusive peer play and enhance collaboration between families and schools to foster children’s happiness.