Locus of control as a mediator of the association between attachment and children's mental health

Locus of control-the expectation that one is in control of one's outcomes in life-is linked to well-being. The authors explored one of the possible antecedents of locus of control such as secure children's attachment. The hypothesis was that locus of control acts as a mediator of the assoc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of genetic psychology 2019-11, Vol.180 (6), p.251-265
Main Authors: Di Pentima, Lorenza, Toni, Alessandro, Schneider, Barry H., Tomás, José M., Oliver, Amparo, Attili, Grazia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Aggression
Aggressive behavior
Aggressiveness
Anxiety
attachment
Child
Child & adolescent mental health
Child Health
Children
Children & youth
externalizing problems
Female
Humans
Internal-External Control
internalizing problems
Locus of control
Male
Mental disorders
Mental Health
Object Attachment
Self Efficacy
Well being
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Summary:Locus of control-the expectation that one is in control of one's outcomes in life-is linked to well-being. The authors explored one of the possible antecedents of locus of control such as secure children's attachment. The hypothesis was that locus of control acts as a mediator of the association between children's attachment and their mental health, in terms of depression, anxiety (internalizing problems), and aggression (externalizing problems). Participants were 206 children with ages ranging from 8 to 14 years. The authors obtained data from teachers as well as by self-report. Structural equations modelling yielded significant results for both a direct path from insecure attachment to internalizing problems and an indirect pathway in which locus of control functions as a mediating variable between children's attachment and internalizing problems. Although the data were consistent with the mediated pathway with regard to internalizing problems, different findings emerged for aggression. Insecure attachment was a significant predictor of aggressive behavior, while locus of control was not a mediator between attachment and aggressive behavior. The authors' findings confirm the mediating role of the locus of control between attachment and internalizing problems, but not between attachment and externalizing ones.
ISSN:0022-1325
1940-0896
DOI:10.1080/00221325.2019.1652557