Self-esteem is a fundamental change that occurs during adolescence, and previous studies suggested that maternal love withdrawal, parental and peer attachment quality contribute to adolescents’...Show moreSelf-esteem is a fundamental change that occurs during adolescence, and previous studies suggested that maternal love withdrawal, parental and peer attachment quality contribute to adolescents’ self-esteem. Since lower levels of self-esteem are related to poor health outcomes, it is important to find out which factors contribute to these negative outcomes and which group of adolescents are especially at risk. Therefore, the present study investigated whether gender and attachment quality moderate the relationship between maternal love withdrawal and self-esteem. It was expected that there is a negative relationship between maternal love withdrawal and self-esteem in adolescents and that there are gender differences in this relationship. Moreover, it was hypothesized that there is a relationship between attachment quality and self-esteem, and that the relationship between maternal love withdrawal and self-esteem is stronger in adolescents who are more securely attached to their mother, father and/or friend than adolescents who are less securely attached. Participants were 160 adolescents aged 11-21 years who completed online questionnaires about maternal love withdrawal, attachment quality and self-esteem. The results showed that maternal love withdrawal, and maternal, paternal and friend attachment (anxious/avoidant) were negatively related to self-esteem. Furthermore, gender and attachment did not moderate the relationship between maternal love withdrawal and self-esteem. Interventions should be created that support insecurely attached adolescents or adolescents whose mother withdrew their love and educate parents about the negative consequences of using love withdrawal as a punishment for their child’s undesirable behavior.Show less
Introduction One of the main tasks during adolescence is to develop a positive directself-concept, how a person thinks about him- or herself. This study investigates how warmth, negativity and...Show moreIntroduction One of the main tasks during adolescence is to develop a positive directself-concept, how a person thinks about him- or herself. This study investigates how warmth, negativity and emotional support in maternal communication, and reflected self-concept, how a person thinks peers think about them, are related to the positivity of the direct self-concept of adolescents. Since the importance of peers during adolescence increases and the importance of parents decreases, the relationship between maternal communication and direct self-concept is expected to be weakened and the relationship between reflected and direct self-concept is expected to be strengthened with age. Methods 93 adolescents between 11 and 21 years old evaluated how they perceived themselves and how they think peers perceive them by indicating how well positive and negative traits fit them. Additionally, they participated in a conversation between mother and child, in which maternal communication was scored on warmth, negativity and emotional support. Results Maternal warmth, negativity and emotional support showed no significant relationships with direct self-concept. Age seemed not to have a moderating effect. However, the moderation was marginally significant in the relationship between warmth and direct self-concept, in which warmth was significantly related to direct self-concept in mid-adolescence but not in early or late adolescence. A positive relationship was found between direct and reflected self-concept. No moderating effect of age was found in this relationship. Discussion This study provides evidence that both peers and parents are important for the positivity of self-concept of adolescents. Maternal warmth seems to be of importance during midadolescence, suggesting that parents still seem to have influence on how adolescents evaluate themselves during this period. The perceived opinions of others seem to be important during entire adolescence. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.Show less
Self-esteem is a fundamental change that occurs during adolescence, and previous studies suggested that maternal love withdrawal, parental and peer attachment quality contribute to adolescents’...Show moreSelf-esteem is a fundamental change that occurs during adolescence, and previous studies suggested that maternal love withdrawal, parental and peer attachment quality contribute to adolescents’ self-esteem. Since lower levels of self-esteem are related to poor health outcomes, it is important to find out which factors contribute to these negative outcomes and which group of adolescents are especially at risk. Therefore, the present study investigated whether gender and attachment quality moderate the relationship between maternal love withdrawal and self-esteem. It was expected that there is a negative relationship between maternal love withdrawal and self-esteem in adolescents and that there are gender differences in this relationship. Moreover, it was hypothesized that there is a relationship between attachment quality and self-esteem, and that the relationship between maternal love withdrawal and self-esteem is stronger in adolescents who are more securely attached to their mother, father and/or friend than adolescents who are less securely attached. Participants were 160 adolescents aged 11-21 years who completed online questionnaires about maternal love withdrawal, attachment quality and self-esteem. The results showed that maternal love withdrawal, and maternal, paternal and friend attachment (anxious/avoidant) were negatively related to self-esteem. Furthermore, gender and attachment did not moderate the relationship between maternal love withdrawal and self-esteem. Interventions should be created that support insecurely attached adolescents or adolescents whose mother withdrew their love and educate parents about the negative consequences of using love withdrawal as a punishment for their child’s undesirable behavior.Show less
Introduction: Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents, and existing literature shows that children of a parent with an anxiety disorder have a...Show moreIntroduction: Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents, and existing literature shows that children of a parent with an anxiety disorder have a higher change of developing an anxiety disorder, than children of a parent without an anxiety disorder. This study tested whether children of parents with an anxiety disorder indeed experienced more anxiety than children of parents without an anxiety disorder. Moreover, this study examined whether self-rated parental competence mediates the relationship between an anxiety disorder in the parent and child anxiety levels. Method: This study included 68 children of parents with an anxiety disorder (panic disorder and/or social anxiety disorder) and 70 children of parents without an anxiety disorder. The children were between 7 and 15 years old. The presence or absence of an anxiety disorder in the parent was established via a semi-structured interview (MINI). Moreover, parents reported levels of self-rated parental competence (NOSI) and the children reported on their anxiety symptoms (SCARED). Results: Contrary to the expectations, results indicated that children of parents with an anxiety disorder do not experience higher levels of anxiety than children of parents without an anxiety disorder. However, in line with the hypotheses, results show that self-rated parental competence indeed mediates the relationship between parent and child anxiety. Discussion: More knowledge about the role of self-rated parental competence in the intergenerational transmission of anxiety provides an angle for a more targeted intervention in the transmission of anxiety from parent to child. Further research is needed to investigate the specificity of the mediating effect. A limitation of this study is that the direction of the effect of self-rated parental competence on child anxiety cannot be inferred, due to the cross-sectional design of the study.Show less
