Premium
“It's like all of his attention is on you”: A mixed methods examination of attachment, supportive nonparental youth–adult relationships, and self‐esteem during adolescence
Author(s) -
Yu Mark Vincent B.,
Deutsch Nancy L.,
Futch Ehrlich Valerie A.,
Arbeit Miriam R.,
Johnson Haley E.,
Melton Theresa N.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22129
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , path analysis (statistics) , context (archaeology) , self esteem , positive youth development , social support , social psychology , paleontology , statistics , mathematics , biology
The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the relationship between attachment, supportive nonparental youth‐adult relationships, and self‐esteem during adolescence. First, in a quantitative path analysis, we found that perceived social support from nonparental adults partially mediated the relationship between adolescent attachment and self‐esteem. In our follow‐up mixed methods analysis, we analyzed youth reflections of support experienced in relationships with significant non‐parental adults (VIPs). As compared to youth with positive attachment models, youth with negative attachment models reported fewer instances of emotional support but more instances of validation support. The youth with negative attachment models described (1) the importance of trust and (2) receiving emotional support specific to their needs. In instances of validation support, these youth described how their VIPs (1) provided them with honest and realistic feedback, (2) challenged their negative thinking and (3) created opportunities for them to recognize and showcase their strengths. Our findings underscore the importance of considering youths' individual attributes in the context of their ongoing relationships in order to gain a more nuanced understanding of the role and dynamics of supportive nonparental youth‐adult relationships in youths' lives.