The Interplay of Parent-Adolescent Relationships and Adolescent Self-Esteem Levels: The Mediating Role of the Neural Self-Concept Evaluation

This study examines the relationship between secure parent-adolescent relationships and self-esteem in adolescents, considering the potential mediating role of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activation during domain-specific self-concept evaluations. Secure parent-adolescent attachment is known to contribute positively to self-esteem in adolescents. However, this study delves deeper by exploring the influence of family interaction and mPFC activation on self-esteem during self-concept evaluations of prosocial traits, physical appearance, and academic domains. The results confirm a direct positive link between secure parent-adolescent attachments and high self-esteem, consistent with prior research. Secure attachment equips individuals with stress-coping and emotion regulation skills, supporting positive self-esteem during adolescence. Emotional support from parents alone did not significantly impact self-esteem, suggesting the importance of considering of other factors such as peer relationships. Regarding mPFC activation, the findings are nuanced. mPFC activation did not mediate the relationship between attachment or parenting style and self-esteem during prosocial self-concept evaluations. Positive correlation was observed between mPFC activation during prosocial behaviour and overall self-esteem, expanding our understanding of neural mechanisms in self-concept evaluation in the context of prosocial behaviour and its impact on adolescent self-esteem. Similarly, mPFC did not mediate the relationship between attachment or parenting style and self-esteem during academic or physical self-concept evaluations, prompting further exploration of neural mechanisms and external influences. This study enhances our understanding of attachment, self-concept neural processes, and self-esteem in adolescence, emphasizing secure parent-adolescent attachments and shedding light on emotional support dynamics. This study enhances our understanding of attachment, neural processes, and self-esteem in adolescence, emphasizing secure parent-adolescent attachments and shedding light on emotional support dynamics.