Early Attachment and Socioemotional Development of Adolescence and Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Emotion Regulation and Self-Esteem

The School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, 200000, Shanghai, China

^* Corresponding author: 71203200026@stu.ecnu.edu.cn

Abstract

Investigating the pathways by which the quality of early attachment influences socioemotional outcomes is worthy for better comprehension and intervention of the legacy of early attachment. This article focuses on the mediating role of emotion regulation and self-esteem in correlation between early attachment and socioemotional development in adolescence and adulthood, by reviewing and analysing current empirical studies (mostly are longitudinal). The findings imply that: 1) Early attachment and subsequent socioemotional outcomes are significantly mediated by both emotion regulation and self esteem. 2) Early attachment has an impact on the abilities, particular strategies, and physiological foundations of emotion regulation; these factors will predict later development. 3) Global and domain specific self-esteem, which can affect both the overall degree and specific domains of socioemotional adaptation, are linked to early attachment. 4) Distinct attachment figures (father- or mother-child connection) and various forms of instability in early attachment may have unique influences on subsequent development. Moreover, future research on detailed examination of these mechanisms is proposed, as well as the intervention approaches focusing on improving emotion regulation and self-esteem for those who are insecurely attached early years.