The impact of parental, peer and school attachment on the psychological well-being of early adolescents in Thailand

Abstract

Secure attachment in childhood and adolescence is important to psychological well-being throughout the life span. This cross-sectional study examines the importance of attachment (i.e. parents, peers and school) and self-esteem on the psychological well-being (i.e. total psychological difficulties, externalizing problems, internalizing problems, prosocial behaviours and life satisfaction) among 1360 adolescents (aged 12–15 years) in a district of Central Thailand. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire during school hours. Path analyses investigated the significance of attachment on psychological well-being and the mediating role of self-esteem. Parental and peer attachment were negatively associated with total psychological difficulties, externalizing problems and internalizing problems, while parental and school attachment were positively associated with life satisfaction. More secure peer and school attachment were significantly associated with greater prosocial behaviours. Self-esteem was found to mediate the relationships between attachment and all domains of psychological well-being except prosocial behaviours.