Understanding Materialism in Preschool Children: The Roles of Perceived Family Economic Status, Self-Esteem, and Theory of Mind

Individual differences in children’s orientations toward material possessions emerge early in development, yet little is known about how young children’s perceptions of their family’s economic situation relate to these tendencies. The present study examined whether preschool children’s perceived family economic status was associated with materialistic tendencies through self-esteem, and whether this process differed as a function of Theory of Mind. Participants were 305 preschool children aged 44-87 months (155 girls, 150 boys). The sample consisted primarily of Polish children, with a small proportion of children of other nationalities (predominantly Ukrainian). Results indicated that perceived family economic status was positively associated with self-esteem. Self-esteem was, in turn, related to materialistic tendencies, and this association differed depending on children’s Theory of Mind. Moderated mediation analyses revealed an indirect association between perceived family economic status and materialistic tendencies via self-esteem, with the indirect effect varying as a function of Theory of Mind. Specifically, lower self-esteem was associated with stronger materialistic tendencies only among children with more developed Theory of Mind. The overall model explained 16% of the variance in materialistic tendencies. These findings highlight the importance of subjective economic perceptions and social-cognitive development in understanding early differences in children’s materialistic orientations.