The Investigation of the Effect of Secure Attachment to Mother on Self-Perception in Middle Childhood

The relationship between parents and children is important for realizing developmental tasks, intra-family, and peer relationships. Self-concept and self-esteem are closely related to a person's personality and identity. This study examined the relationship between 5th grade primary school students' secure attachment to their mothers and their self-perceptions. The study group consisted of 431 5th grade students in a secondary school, aged 12-13 years. Piers Harris' Child Self-Concept Scale (PHCSCS) and Kerns Secure Attachment Scale-KSS were used to collecting data. The correlation coefficient and the decision tree CHAID algorithm, one of the classification techniques, were used to estimate data trends in the data analysis. The CHAID analysis was used to decide whether demographic characteristics and secure attachment to the mother, which are independent variables, affect self-perception, the dependent variable, and the extent of this effect. Finally, secure attachment to the mother and self-perception in middle childhood were related to the father's occupation; family structure, birth order, and gender were important variables in the child's self-perception. It was found that the mother-child secure attachment pattern in middle childhood affected the development of high self-perception. It is foreseen that the consequences of the study will provide to the literature.