Objective: To test the hypothesis of positive peer interactions within proximal contexts as protective developmental mechanisms, this study examined whether preschool interactive peer play (age 5) mediated the effect of early externalizing behavior problem (age 4) on later school readiness (age 6) for a representative sample of Korean children.
Methods: Using data (N=953) from 5th, 6th, and 7th wave of Panel Study on Korean Children, a series of regression analyses were conducted to test the mediating role of interactive peer play.
Results: Having controlling for the gender of the children, early externalizing behavior problem had negative effects on later school readiness, and these effects were fully mediated by interactive peer play experience.
Conclusions: The results empirically supported the hypothesis that positive peer interactions can enhance child resilience and lower the risk of early externalizing problems. The implications for developmental practice were discussed from an early intervention perspective.