Influences of perceived parenting and attachment style on change in self-esteem during middle childhood

This study examined influences of perceived parental behaviors and attachment styles on change over time in preadolescents' feelings of self-worth. In each of two successive years, four measures of perceived parental behavior (harassment, over-protectiveness, monitoring, and affectionate contact), two measures of attachment style (preoccupied coping and avoidant coping), and one measure of global self-worth were collected from a sample of 106 children ( M age = 11.1 years in Year 1). Results support the idea that children's perceptions of their parents and attachment styles influence, both individually and jointly, their subsequent feelings of self-worth. Perceived parental monitoring and perceived affectionate contact predicted increases in self-esteem, whereas perceived parental harassment predicted decreases in feelings of self-worth over time. Children's attachment styles also predicted change in global self-worth and in fact mediated the relations between perceived parenting practices and subsequent feelings of self worth.