This study was intended to examine whether self-encouragement has its mediating effect on the
relationship between parents-adolescent communication styles perceived by junior high students and
adolescents' problem behaviors. For this purpose, 548 junior high students of 3 schools from G
city were given questionnaires including The Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale, Korea Youth
Self-Report Inventory, and Self-encouragement Inventory. This study was analyzed with correlation
and regression analysis, and the result is as follows. First, there was a significant difference between
parents-adolescent communication styles and adolescents' problem behaviors. The level of
self-encouragement was high and that of problem behaviors was low in adolescents who perceived
parents-adolescent communication style as open, compared to those who perceived parents-adolescent
communication style as problematic. Second, self-encouragement did have a partial mediating effect
on the relationship between parents-adolescent communication styles and adolescents' problem
behaviors. This result showed that parents-adolescent communication styles have an indirect effect
on adolescents' problem behaviors, mediated by self-encouragement. This study concludes with
suggestions that counselors can help adolescents use self-encouragement and educate parents about
the importance of encouraging their children.