The reciprocal relations between perceived attachment to parents and Self-Concept clarity in adolescence

Abstract

Adolescence is a pivotal period for the development of self-concept. Previous research has examined the association between parental attachment and adolescent self-concept clarity (SCC), but little is known about their temporal relationship in various parent–child gender dyads. This study utilized a latent change score model to examine the reciprocal relationships between attachment quality and SCC in 2539 Chinese adolescents (55.10 % girls, M_age = 17.27 years) over two waves. Results indicated that higher SCC predicted subsequent increases in parental attachment quality, and vice versa. Gender-specific analyses revealed that these reciprocal relations were primarily evident in adolescent boys, not girls. Findings underscore the importance of parent and adolescent gender in shaping the reciprocal relations between parental attachment and SCC during adolescence.