title: The mediating role of perceived peer support in the relation between quality of attachment and internalizing problems in adolescence: a longitudinal perspective.
abstract: The study was aimed to verify, from a longitudinal perspective, whether perceived peer support would mediate the relationship between attachment and internalizing problems. Longitudinal participants included 482 adolescents (245 boys) aged 14-15 years in Wave 1 and 17-18 years in Wave 2. Participants in Wave 1 completed the Relationship Questionnaire, and those in Wave 2 completed the Social Support Questionnaire and the Youth Self-Report. Results showed that secure attachment positively predicted high levels of perceived peer support and negatively predicted internalizing problems, whereas fearful and preoccupied attachment negatively predicted perceived peer support and positively predicted internalizing problems. The mediation models showed that perceived peer support partially mediated the relationship between secure attachment and internalizing problems as well as between preoccupied attachment and internalizing problems and between fearful attachment and internalizing problems. Our results confirm the role of subjective perception of peer support in contributing to the prediction of internalizing problems beyond attachment styles.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Human and Social Sciences , University Kore of Enna , Enna , Italy.
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychological and Educational Sciences , University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zappulla
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychological and Educational Sciences , University of Palermo , Palermo , Italy.
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Di Maggio
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010379:Peer Group; D010465:Perception; D000066553:Problem Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support
keywords: Perceived peer support; adolescence; attachment; internalizing problems; longitudinal perspective; mediation model