PARENT ATTACHMENT AND EARLY ADOLESCENTS' LIFE SATISFACTION: THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF HOPE

Research using an attachment theory framework has provided evidence that parent attachment is one of the crucial determinants of psychological adjustment in adolescents, including global life satisfaction (LS). This study investigated the interrelationships among parent attachment, hope, and LS during early adolescence, including the mediation effect of hope in the relationship between parent attachment and LS. A sample of 565 middle-school students in Grades 6 through 8 participated. Results showed statistically significant relationships among all three variables, and hope partially mediated the relationship between parent attachment and LS. Implications of the findings are discussed.