The relationship between parental-child attachment consistency and shyness in adolescents with depressive disorders

BackgroundShyness is a common socio-emotional problem among adolescents with depressive disorders, and parent, child attachment may be associated with adolescents’ social functioning. However, the independent and combined effects of maternal and paternal attachment on shyness remain unclear.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 252 adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorders in Ningxia, China. Questionnaires were used to assess maternal and paternal attachment security and shyness. Polynomial regression combined with response surface analysis was applied to examine the associations between maternal and paternal attachment consistency and shyness, controlling for gender.ResultsBoth maternal and paternal attachment were significantly negatively correlated with shyness, indicating that higher attachment security was associated with lower shyness levels. Response surface analysis revealed that adolescents exhibited the lowest levels of shyness when both maternal and paternal attachment were high and consistent. Differences between parental attachment were not significantly associated with shyness.ConclusionThe findings suggest that secure maternal and paternal attachments are associated with lower levels of shyness in adolescents with depressive disorders. High and consistent parental attachment was associated with a more stable emotional context, which was associated with adolescents’ social confidence and emotion regulation. Interventions should focus on improving both the quality and consistency of parental attachment in relation to adolescent shyness and socio-emotional adaptation.