%0 Journal Article
%T Examining the association between parenting and psychosomatic problems: self-esteem as a mediator across ages in early adolescence
%A Amy C. O¡¯Neill
%A Valerie A. Kuhlmeier
%A Wendy M. Craig
%J International Journal of Adolescence and Youth
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2018.1482771
%X 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¨Cchild 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¨Cchild 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¨Cchild 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
%U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2018.1482771