Adolescent-parent attachment: Bonds that support healthy development

Abstract

Adolescence is characterized by significant neurological, cognitive and sociopsychological development. With the advance of adolescence, the amount of time spent with parents typically drops while time spent with peers increases considerably. Nonetheless, parents continue to play a key role in influencing their adolescent's development. Adolescent-parent attachment has profound effects on cognitive, social and emotional functioning. Secure attachment is associated with less engagement in high risk behaviours, fewer mental health problems, and enhanced social skills and coping strategies. The present article provides a brief synopsis of the changes that occur during adolescence and describes what attachment is, why it continues to be important and how it is transformed during adolescence. It summarizes major findings on the impact of attachment on adolescent adjustment and discusses strategies for supporting healthy adolescent-parent attachment.

Poor family functioning mediates the link between childhood adversity and adolescent nonsuicidal self‐injury

“…Impaired family functioning later in adolescence is in turn robustly associated with NSSI (Gratz et al., 2002). Family functioning may influence adolescent NSSI through several risk factors for NSSI such as impulsivity, emotion regulation (Scott, Levy, & Pincus, 2009), self‐esteem (Collins & Read, 1990), interpersonal skills (Hazel et al., 2014), coping skills, and mental illness (Moretti & Peled, 2004). These pathways warrant further investigation.…”

Childhood trauma and functional disability in psychosis, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder: a review of the literature

“…Secure parental attachments are important throughout childhood and adolescence for normal healthy development and are protective against adverse mental health outcomes (Moretti & Peled, 2004). Both attachment-anxiety and attachment-avoidance were significantly higher in those patients with borderline personality disorder and a history of childhood trauma, which in turn correlated with more severe clinical symptoms and interpersonal problems in adulthood (Minzenberg et al 2006).…”

Rumination on Anger and Sadness in Adolescence: Fueling of Fury and Deepening of Despair

“…Adolescents spend less time with family and more time with peers (Larson, Richards, Moneta, & Holmbeck, 1996), and they struggle with balancing their striving for autonomy and maintenance of connection with parents (e.g., Moretti & Peled, 2004). With developing autonomy and the simultaneous need for connectedness comes the search for meaning and understanding of oneself and others.…”