Self-Efficacy and Parental Monitoring as Mediators in the Relationship Between Poverty, Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Child poverty is a global issue that affects all of humanity, especially children. The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating roles of self-efficacy and parental monitoring in the relationship between child poverty and emotional and behavioral problems. This study was conducted using a relational model with368 students enrolled in state middle schools and their parents, residing in socioeconomically disadvantaged regions of Türkiye. The data was analyzed using the parallel mediation model. The findings revealed that self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between child poverty and emotional and behavioral problems, while parental monitoring partially mediated the relationship between child poverty and behavioral problems. Given the correlational nature of the study, these findings reflect indirect associations rather than causal effects. Nevertheless, the results highlight the potential importance of individual and familial protective factors in understanding how child poverty relates to students’ emotional and behavioral outcomes. Based on these findings, future research is encouraged to further investigate the roles of self-efficacy and parental monitoring in similar contexts, preferably using longitudinal or multi-method designs. Practitioners should consider the relevance of these factors when designing supportive programs, and policymakers should take into account family and child psychosocial variables when developing strategies to address child poverty.