Attachment as Moderator of Perceived Social-Class Discrimination on Behavioral Outcomes Among Chinese Migrant Children

Abstract

In this study, we examined the relations between perceived social-class discrimination, attachment, and behavior problems in a sample of Chinese migrant children in Beijing (age [Formula: see text] = 11.48, SD = 1.12; n = 179). Data were collected from two migrant schools in Beijing. The participants completed measures of perceived social-class discrimination, attachment to parents and peers, and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The results indicated that perceived social-class discrimination was associated with more internalizing and externalizing problems. In addition, attachments to mother, father, and peer were negatively associated with behavior problems. Results of hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that child-father attachment significantly moderated the associations between perceived social-class discrimination and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The negative effects of perceived social-class discrimination on child outcomes were mitigated when children reported higher levels of attachment to their fathers. Child-mother and child-peer attachment demonstrated no moderating effects. The findings provide some evidence of child-father attachment’s unique contribution to child socioemotional development and protection against behavior problems associated with social risks.