Abstract

This study examined the association of attachment style with mother and father with depressive symptoms
among early adolescent boys and girls (N= 140), and whether this association was mediated by attributional
styles and/or self-esteem. As expected, adolescents more anxiously attached to both mother and father reported
the most depressive symptoms. Anxious attachment to mother was associated with depressive symptoms for girls
only and this association was fully mediated by both maladaptive attributions for negative events and by
self-esteem. These findings indicate the importance of negative attributions and self-esteem as pathways through
which girls’ anxious attachment to mother might lead to depressive symptoms.

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