Parent-Child Relationship and Attachment Security: Divorce as a Mediating Factor
Document Type
Poster
Event Website
https://source2022.sched.com/
Start Date
16-5-2022
End Date
16-5-2022
Keywords
Attachment, Parent-Child Relationship, Divorce, Emerging Adulthood
Abstract
Attachment is the bond that is formed linking a caregiver to children between birth and 2 years old and is a predictor for many future relationships. Attachment security is linked to later parent-child relationship quality. Divorce has been shown to affect children socially and they may experience difficulty in relating to others, but it is unclear how it continues to impact emerging adults and their relationships with their parents. The goal of this study was to better understand if attachment security was correlated to the quality of parent-child relationships among emerging adults and if parental divorce moderated this relationship. Our sample included emerging adults (N = 309) ages 18-30 years old. From our results, it was concluded that there was a significant positive relationship between the quality of the parent-child relationship and attachment security (r = 0.43, p= <.001) among emerging adults. Divorce did not moderate the association (Fisher’s z = -0.14, p= 0.44). This study had a few limitations due to the limited sample size, and the snowball convenience data collection method that could make results less generalizable to the larger population. It is also not possible to make causal inferences due to the cross-sectional nature of the study. Despite the limitations, these findings could help set the foundation for which professionals and clinicians analyze and understand the influence of the quality of the parent-child relationship in emerging adulthood.
Recommended Citation
Bruning, Hanna and Headley, Caverna, "Parent-Child Relationship and Attachment Security: Divorce as a Mediating Factor" (2022). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 6.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2022/CEPS/6
Department/Program
Family and Child Life
Additional Mentoring Department
Family and Child Life
Additional Mentoring Department
Graduate Studies
Video Presentation
Additional Files
Bruning, Hanna Parent-Child Relationship and Attachment.mp4 (49747 kB)Video Presentation
Parent-Child Relationship and Attachment Security: Divorce as a Mediating Factor
Attachment is the bond that is formed linking a caregiver to children between birth and 2 years old and is a predictor for many future relationships. Attachment security is linked to later parent-child relationship quality. Divorce has been shown to affect children socially and they may experience difficulty in relating to others, but it is unclear how it continues to impact emerging adults and their relationships with their parents. The goal of this study was to better understand if attachment security was correlated to the quality of parent-child relationships among emerging adults and if parental divorce moderated this relationship. Our sample included emerging adults (N = 309) ages 18-30 years old. From our results, it was concluded that there was a significant positive relationship between the quality of the parent-child relationship and attachment security (r = 0.43, p= <.001) among emerging adults. Divorce did not moderate the association (Fisher’s z = -0.14, p= 0.44). This study had a few limitations due to the limited sample size, and the snowball convenience data collection method that could make results less generalizable to the larger population. It is also not possible to make causal inferences due to the cross-sectional nature of the study. Despite the limitations, these findings could help set the foundation for which professionals and clinicians analyze and understand the influence of the quality of the parent-child relationship in emerging adulthood.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2022/CEPS/6
Faculty Mentor(s)
Amy Claridge