The characteristics of parental attachment were assessed for a sample of 81 emerging adults (ages 22-28 years) and their mothers. Emerging adults' reports of self-worth were found to mediate the relationship between their reports of parental attachment and depressive symptoms. The emerging adults' unique perspectives of the attachment relationship…

Describes investigation exploring value of attachment theory in describing parental relationships of adolescents attending trade and technical schools. Students described positive attachments to parents, including facilitating autonomy and providing emotional support. For males, attachment ratings were negatively correlated with nearness of school…

Examined extent and function of parental attachments among college seniors. Results from 159 college seniors revealed that characteristics of parental attachment as described by college seniors were positive and associated with self-reports of career maturity. Comparison of descriptions provided by seniors and first-year students revealed no…

Investigates the relationship of the affective and fostering of autonomy components of maternal and paternal attachment with indices of instrumental and social/relational competence among high school students. Students rated fathers higher than mothers on fostering of autonomy. Boys rated themselves higher than girls on several indices of…

Examined relationship between levels of attachment and separation and women's adjustment to college. Findings from 162 first-year college women revealed that freedom from guilt and anxiety toward parents, feelings of positive parental attachment and attitudinal similarity with parents, were associated with personal and academic adjustment.…

Examined relationship between parental attachment and eating disorder symptoms for 68 inpatient women with eating disorders and for 162 college women. College women described themselves as more securely attached to parents and reported lower levels of weight and dieting preoccupation, bulimic behavior, and feelings of ineffectiveness. (Author/NB)

Examined parental attachment, family structure, and social and psychological functioning among 226 college freshmen. For females only, insecure attachment and two dimensions of maladaptive family structure were associated with difficulties in social competence and presence of psychological symptoms. Findings suggest that, for college women, close…

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…

The extent and function of the parent-child bond, conceptualized according to Ainsworth's model of attachment, was explored for 173 first-year college students. Students' description of their parental relationships resembled Ainsworth's secure attachment type. Most students viewed their parents as a secure, encouraging, and available source of…

In Study 1, the relationships between parental attachment, academic achievement, and distress were tested with a sample of academically successful inner-city high school students (N=100). Affective quality of maternal attachment was positively associated with grade point average. In Study 2, case examples provided an examination of sources of…

Using a multiethnic sample (African American, Latino, Asian American), examined the degree to which family attachment is related to psychological well-being at the time of college orientation. Analysis suggested that characteristics of secure attachment are negatively associated with psychological symptoms of distress at the time of college entry.…

Presents a model--consistent with formulations in developmental psychology and psychopathology--that extends attachment theory to late adolescence. Discusses attachment in the context of life-span development, stress, coping, and adjustment. Favors addressing methodological challenges in order to validate attachment-based developmental and…