Moderating effect of attachment to parents on the association between bullying and self‐esteem among early adolescents aged 10 to 12

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine whether attachment to each parent moderates the relationship between bullying victimisation and self‐esteem. The sample consisted of 250 junior high school students (114 males, 136 females; mean age: 11.3 years). The administered scales were the Bully/Victim Questionnaire Revised, the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment for Children and the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale. Results showed that early adolescents subjected to bullying had lower self‐esteem than non‐bullied peers. For girls, attachment to mother also accounted for self‐esteem over and above the effect of bullying. For boys, attachment with the father appeared as a pure moderator of the effect of bullying as the association with self‐esteem was non‐significant when attachment scores were high. The findings suggest that attachment to same sex parents may foster better self‐esteem in the face of bullying. Parents' participation in preventive measures could be encouraged.