Examining the association between parenting and psychosomatic problems: self-esteem as a mediator across ages in early adolescence

Amy C O’Neill,Valerie A Kuhlmeier,Wendy M Craig

doi:10.1080/02673843.2018.1482771

Amy C O’Neill, Valerie A Kuhlmeier + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2018.1482771

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Abstract

Supportive parenting is known to protect against psychosomatic manifestations of distress, yet the mechanisms through which this association operates are less clear. The present study evaluates children’s self-esteem as a mediator, partially explaining the association between parent–child relationship quality and psychosomatic problems from late childhood to mid-adolescence. Results from a large, nationally-representative Canadian sample indicated that self-esteem partially mediated these associations, and self-esteem accounted for more shared variance between parent–child relationship quality and psychosomatic problems among younger children. Among older children, shared variance with self-esteem explained a smaller portion of this association, but the remaining direct effect of parent–child relationship on psychosomatic problems was larger. These findings suggest that supportive parents protect against psychosomatic problems, and that they do so by promoting self-esteem for younger children and through other mechanisms as children age. Results are discussed in the context of attachment theory and age-related trends in self-esteem development.

Highlights

The importance of parenting for healthy child development is well documented, and the mechanisms behind this association are numerous and complex
The current study aims to extend the findings of both Wilkinson (2004) and Hunter and colleagues (2015) by examining whether self-esteem partially accounts for the influence of parent–child relationships on psychosomatic symptoms, and whether this pattern of influence varies in strength as a function of age from pre- to mid-adolescence
The present study aims to evaluate whether self-esteem partially accounts for the association between parent–child relationship quality and psychosomatic problems in the pre- to mid- adolescent period, and whether the relative strength of these influences on psychosomatic problems varies by age

Summary

Introduction

The importance of parenting for healthy child development is well documented, and the mechanisms behind this association are numerous and complex. Feldman, 2015; Whittle et al, 2014) These sensitive periods include infancy, during which attachment representations are built through parent–child interactions (Ainsworth, 1979; Bowlby, 1969; Fraley, 2002), and adolescence, when parents continue to provide a secure base from which the teenager can safely explore independence (Allen et al, 2003). Adolescents who lack this secure base are left to navigate an increasingly complex and stressful social world without this ‘safety net’, and tend to believe that other close relationships cannot be relied upon for support

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