Self-image and parental attachment among late adolescents in Belize

This study investigated the relationship of ethnicity, parental education, gender, and parental attachment to multiple dimensions of self-image among 285 (161 female and 124 male) late adolescent Belizean students. Student ratings of self-image were unrelated to paternal education and student ethnicity. For maternal education, ethnic identity was higher for students whose mothers were high school graduates than for those whose mothers had completed college or a graduate degree. Female students reported more positive self-images than males in vocational attitudes. Favourable self-images were associated with secure ratings of parental attachment.