The purpose of the present study was to examine mediation role of self-esteem among the relationships between perceived mother/father attitudes, parental attachment and peer relationships in adolescents. Another aim of the study was to investigate whether peer relationships differ to parental styles and gender in adolescents. The sample of this study composed of students who participated from different secondary schools and high schools in Mersin. The participants of the study consisted of 399 students whose age ranged from 12 to 18 years. The results indicated that there was a partial mediation role of self-esteem between parental (mother) attachment and peer loyalty. In addition, self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between perceived father acceptance/interest/love attitude and peer loyalty. Analyzes was conducted to investigate whether sub-dimensions of peer relationships differed to different parenting styles and sex. The findings showed that peer relationships differed in terms of different parenting styles and sex. The implications of the findings and future research are discussed. In the light of the obtained results, attachment patterns and parental attitutes towards adolescents are considerably important on peer relationships. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies will consider parental attitudes along with father-child relationships in the child rearing process.

Keywords: peer relations, perceived mother-father styles, parental attachment, self- esteem