Attachment is a strong emotional bond between a child and their parents that shapes an individual’s perception of themselves and others. It is linked to various areas of life. This study explores whether one of these areas is children's social behavior in early childhood. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between children's attachment to each parent and their social competence, general social adjustment, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. We hypothesized that securely attached children would demonstrate higher social competence, better overall social adjustment, and fewer internalizing and externalizing problems. We also examined how other dimensions of insecure attachment to parents relate to children's social behavior The study included 52 children aged between 58 and 78 months (M = 68.00 months, or 5 years and 8 months, SD = 5.44 months) – half girls and half boys – who attended kindergarten in the year before entering primary school. For 39 children, attachment data was obtained from both parents, whereas for 13 children the data was obtained from only one parent; 12 mothers and 1 father. The results showed that secure attachment to the mother was associated with fewer externalizing problems, while insecure attachment dimensions were linked to lower social competence and poorer social adjustment. In relation to the father, the dimension of insecure attachment resistance–avoidance was associated with lower social adjustment. No statistically significant associations were found between attachment and internalizing problems. We also found no significant gender differences in children's social behavior. Demographic variables were more strongly associated with attachment dimensions to parents than with children's social behavior.
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