Examining the longitudinal association of parental attachment with self-control among adolescents: The mediating role of self-concept clarity

Although research has indicated that parental attachment is closely related to self-control, the underlying psychological mechanism remains unclear. Self-concept clarity, the extent to which various aspects of the self are clearly and confidently defined, may facilitate self-control and could be promoted by high-quality parental attachment. This study collected two waves of questionnaire data at a six-month interval and investigated the longitudinal association of parent-adolescent attachment with self-control, further revealing the mediating role of self-concept clarity in a large sample of 2,539 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 17.27, SD = 0.85; 1,399 girls). Correlation analysis showed that greater attachment security with parents was associated with higher self-concept clarity and self-control. Cross-lagged path analysis demonstrated reciprocal relationships between secure attachment (to both mother and father) and self-control over time. Moreover, cross-lagged mediation models revealed that self-concept clarity played a mediating role in the relationship between parental attachment and self-control. Overall, the present findings indicate that parent-adolescent attachment and self-control mutually influence each other over time, with self-concept clarity partly explaining this reciprocal relationship. These findings advance a better understanding of the reciprocal relationship between parent-adolescent interactions and the development of self-regulation in adolescence, and highlight the importance of family education for fostering parent-adolescent attachment relationships and interventions for improving self-concept clarity in promoting adolescents’ self-control.