Parental Bonding, Self-Esteem and Theory of Mind Among Locals and Immigrants

Parental bonding is a relevant predictor that helps in understanding the parent-child relationship which plays an important role in the development of Theory of Mind (ToM) and in organizing judgments towards the self. Subjects were 140, aged between 19 and 25, 69 of whom local Italians and 71 immigrants recruited from the Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers of Mineo (South Italy), completed three self-report measures: Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI); Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET-R). Locals reported higher rates on self-esteem (p<.001), ToM (p<.001) and parental care (p<.001), whereas immigrants scored higher than locals on parental overprotection (p<.001). Implications for psychological functioning, well-being and preventative initiatives aimed at helping immigrant people are discussed.