True intraindividual change in moral self: The role of parental warmth in moral development during middle childhood

This study investigates the role of parental warmth in the development and change of the moral self in middle childhood. While previous research has extensively examined the moral self in early childhood and moral identity in adolescence, middle childhood remains underexplored. Yet, middle childhood is a crucial phase marked by significant moral development, making it a critical period for understanding how moral self-concepts evolve. To examine developmental change, True Intraindividual Change (TIC) models were used. This approach estimates both baseline levels and latent change over time. It allowed us to assess how parental warmth at Time 1 predicts both the initial level and change in the moral self across 6 months. Therefore, our sample consisted of 189 children, aged 6 to 12 years ( M = 8.48, SD = 1.26), and their primary caregivers were recruited for this longitudinal study. The findings reveal a significant positive effect of parental warmth (T1) on the baseline level of the moral self, indicating that higher parental warmth is associated with a stronger moral self. In addition, the effect of parental warmth (T1) on the change in the moral self (from T1 to T2 6 months later) was also significant. These results underscore the importance of parental warmth in establishing a foundation for moral development and its role in driving intraindividual change in the moral self during middle childhood.