title: Influence of adult attachment insecurities on parenting self-esteem: the mediating role of dyadic adjustment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parenting self-esteem includes two global components, parents' self-efficacy and satisfaction with their parental role, and has a crucial role in parent-child interactions. The purpose of this study was to develop an integrative model linking adult attachment insecurities, dyadic adjustment, and parenting self-esteem.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involved 118 pairs (236 subjects) of heterosexual parents of a firstborn child aged 0-6 years. They were administered the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) questionnaire, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Path analysis was used to design and test a theoretical integrative model, achieving a good fit with the data. Findings showed that dyadic adjustment mediates the negative influence on parenting self-efficacy of both attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. Parenting satisfaction is positively influenced by parenting self-efficacy and negatively affected by child's age. Attachment anxiety negatively influences parenting satisfaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings are in line with the theoretical expectations and have promising implications for future research and intervention programs designed to improve parenting self-esteem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology, University of Padova Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy and Applied Psychology, University of Padova Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bianco
keywords: adult attachment; dyadic adjustment; parenting satisfaction; parenting self-efficacy; parenting self-esteem