Open Access

ARTICLE

Self-Esteem as a Mediator: Analyzing Its Impact on Parental Attachment and Adolescent Delinquency

Mahshid Manouchehri^1,2,*, Musheer A. Aljaberi^3,4, Yi-Ching Lin⁵, Aiche Sabah⁶, Amira Mohammed Ali⁷, Chung-Ying Lin^8,9,*

1 Department of Psychology, Amity University Dubai Campus, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai, 345019, United Arab Emirates
2 Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Malaysia
3 Department of Internal Medicine, Section Nursing Science, Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC), Rotterdam, 3015 GD, The Netherlands
4 Research Centre Innovations in Care, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam, 3015 EK, The Netherlands
5 Department of Early Childhood and Family Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, 106320, Taiwan
6 Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Hassiba Benbouali University of Chlef, Chlef, 02076, Algeria
7 Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Mental Health, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Smouha, Alexandria, 21527, Egypt
8 Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, 701401, Taiwan
9 School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807378, Taiwan

* Corresponding Authors: Mahshid Manouchehri. Email: ; Chung-Ying Lin. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Father/Mother Absence and Moral Emotion)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2025, 27(7), 1013-1028. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.061088

Received 17 November 2024; Accepted 01 July 2025; Issue published 31 July 2025

Abstract

Background: While various factors contributing to delinquency have been explored, the role of self-esteem in this specific context has received little attention. Hence, this study aims to investigate the complex issue of adolescent delinquency in Iran by focusing on the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between parental attachment and delinquent behavior. Methods: Using the multistage cluster random sampling method, the research involved 528 high school students in Tehran. Each student completed validated scales assessing their parental attachment, self-esteem, and delinquency at school. Multiple regression analyses with the Sobel test and bootstrapping method were used to examine mediated effects. Results: The findings reveal that self-esteem significantly mediates the relationship between maternal attachment and delinquency (standardized coefficient = −0.0292; p = 0.04). Adolescents with secure maternal attachments tend to exhibit higher self-esteem, which reduces the likelihood of delinquent behavior. In contrast, paternal attachment did not show a significant mediating effect in this study. These results underscore the importance of cultivating secure maternal relationships and fostering positive self-esteem to address adolescent delinquency. Conclusion: The study suggests that targeted interventions that strengthen maternal attachment and boost self-esteem could effectively mitigate delinquent behaviors among Iranian adolescents. These interventions should prioritize the emotional support and value of secure maternal bonds as key factors in promoting healthy adolescent development.

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Keywords

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