Attachment style and family dynamics in young adults

• Main Author: Pfaller, Joan E.
• Other Authors: Kiselica, Mark S.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: College students > Family relationships.; College students > Attitudes.; Families > Public opinion.; Interpersonal relations.; Parent and child.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/179564; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/952810

Two hundred thirty-eight undergraduates from a midwestern university completed the Hazan and Shaver Attachment Instrument to categorize themselves into three attachment styles: secure, insecure anxious/ambivalent, and insecure avoidant. They also completed the Parental Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ), The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales II (The FACES II), the Family Satisfaction Scale, and a Demographic Questionnaire.This study examined the attachment styles of undergraduates and measures of their parental attachments and family dynamics. It was hypothesized that the securely attached subjects would report significantly greater levels on three variables of parental attachment than would insecurely attached subjects. It was also hypothesized that securely attached subjects would report significantly higher levels on three variables of family dynamics than would insecurely attached subjects.Using multivariate analyses of variance designs, both hypotheses were supported. Subjects who were securely attached, when compared to those who were insecurely attached, reported significantly higher levels of parental attachment, in terms of: providing emotional support,fostering autonomy, and in the affective quality of their attachment to parents. Subjects who were securely attached, when compared to subjects who were insecurely attached, also reported significantly higher levels of adaptability, cohesion, and satisfaction in their families of origin.Results were discussed in relation to previous research on attachment styles and the studies of parental relationships and family dynamics in young adults. Methodological limitations were highlighted. Implications of this study and recommendations for future research were provided as well. === Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services