The research based on attachment has shown that patterns of relating with primary caregivers in childhood and adolescence influence a person into adulthood, especially with regard to interpersonal relationships, including sexual intimacy. This study utilized a measure of adult parental attachment style to determine whether the perception of one's patterns of relating with parental figures in childhood and one's sexual attitudes are associated with unwanted sexual experiences, ranging from consensual unwanted sex and verbal coercion to more severe forms of coercion, including substance-related and physical coercion. The sample included 488 male and female college students, primarily in the age range of emerging adulthood. Analysis involved canonical correlation, which showed that individuals with avoidant parental attachment styles reported more occurrences of unwanted sex, with gender differences moderating the types of unwanted sex experienced. Of the sexual attitudes, permissiveness emerged as the strongest indicator of unwanted sexual experiences, at times interacting with avoidant attachment. Gender was a moderating variable. The authors conclude with practical implications and suggestions for future research.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.