Parental Attachment, Self-Esteem, and Antisocial Behaviors Among African American, European American, and Mexican American Adolescents

Arbona, Consuelo
Power, Thomas G.

¹Department of Educational Psychology, University of Houston
²Department of Human Development, Washington State University.

³Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Consuelo Arbona, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Houston, 491 Farish Hall, Houston, Texas 77204-5029. E-mail: [email protected].

This research was supported by Grant R01 AA07740 from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Thomas G. Power, principal investigator. Thanks are extended to the following individuals for their assistance in data collection and analysis: Gerald Adams, Coleen Carlson, David Francis, Teashia Goodwin, Sheryl Hughes, Patrick McGown, Paras Mehta, Riva Okonkwo, Cindy Stewart, Julie Wall, and Richard Williams.

Received Date: April 5, 2001; Revised Date: May 15, 2002; Accepted Date: May 16, 2002

Journal of Counseling Psychology 50(1):p 40-51, January 2003.

This study examined the relation of mother and father attachment to self-esteem and self-reported involvement in antisocial behaviors among African American (n = 488), European American (n = 661), and Mexican American (n = 434) high school students. The attachment dimensions of anxiety and avoidance were examined using self-report scales that were developed and validated with participants in the study. Findings indicated that adolescents from the 3 ethnic/racial groups did not differ greatly in their reported attachment to father and mother. Consistent with theoretical formulations, securely attached adolescents from the 3 ethnic groups had a more positive sense of self-esteem and reported less involvement in antisocial behaviors than their less securely attached peers.