Using a person-centered approach, the current study investigated latent profiles for the emotional and behavioral problems of students in sixth-grade in elementary school and second grade of middle school. The aim was to explore latent transition patterns and verify the factors affecting the transitions. The participants were 1,937 adolescents who responded to the 3rd year (6th grade of elementary school; Time 1), 4th year (1st grade of middle school), and 5th year (2nd grade of middle school; Time 2) of the Korean Children Youth Panel Study. Latent profile and latent transition analyses were performed. The results were as follows: first, the latent profile of emotional and behavioral problems changed from Time 1 to Time 2. The latent groups at Time 1 were classified into low, moderate, high, and externalizing-dominant, whereas at Time 2, five groups were identified: low, moderate, high, externalizing-dominant, and withdrawal-dominant. Second, transition analyses revealed that although 22.3-57.0% of latent groups remained unchanged, there were significant changes over time between groups, as a new group (‘withdrawal-dominant’) emerged in Time 2. Third, different factors influenced the latent profile transition of emotional and behavioral problems depending on the transition pattern. Higher levels of self-esteem, better relationships with peers and teachers, and lower levels of parental inconsistency meant emotional and behavioral problems had not worsened at Time 2. The results suggest that early interventions are needed during the transition from childhood to early adolescence.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the effects of COVID-19-related stress, parental efficacy, and cognitive flexibility on depression of mothers with school-aged children and to examine a moderated mediation model.Methods: Data on cognitive flexibility, parental efficacy, COVID-19-related stress, and depression were collected from 441 working mothers who had at least one school-aged child using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI) and Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC), COVID Stress/Disruption, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scales. Data were then analyzed using SPSS 26.0, and PROCESS macro version 4.0.Results: The findings revealed that COVID-19-related stress had a significant positive influence on depression in working mothers, which was mediated by parental efficacy. A moderated mediation analysis further indicated that this indirect effect varied depending upon the mothers’ sense of control a sub-factor of cognitive flexibility. Therefore, when mothers perceived they were unlikely to exercise any control over changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, their parental efficacy exerted a greater mediating effect.Conclusion: Results suggest that interventions reducing COVID-19-related stress and increasing parental efficacy could alleviate depression among working mothers with school-aged children. Furthermore, cognitive interventions could be effective in helping those working mothers experiencing a low level of parenting efficacy due to COVID-19-related stress to perceive the demanding situation as within their control.