Moderating effect of teacher-student bond on the relationship between parent-child attachment and adolescent outcomes

The current study examined the influence of parental warmth/support on adolescent psychological well-being (i.e., depression and psychosocial maturity), and how the impact of parental warmth/support on these outcomes may differ based on the relationship an adolescent is able to develop with at least one teacher at school (i.e., teacher-student bond). It was of particular interest to explore whether a close teacher-student bond might moderate the effect a parent-child relationship lacking warmth and support has on adolescent depressive symptoms and psychosocial maturity. Participants were a sample of 15-year-old adolescents (N= 815) from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to explore the potential interaction effects of teacher bonding and parental warmth/support on depressive symptoms and psychosocial maturity in 15-year-old adolescents. Results suggested that the teacher-adolescent relationship moderated the impact of parental warmth/support on adolescent depression scores for female adolescents only. The teacher-adolescent relationship did not moderate the influence of parental warmth/support on adolescent psychosocial maturity.