Parental attachment, romantic competence, relationship satisfaction, and psychosocial adjustment in emerging adulthood

Abstract

Research has found significant relations between attachment to parents and psychosocial adjustment. This study explored parental attachment and psychosocial adjustment during emerging adulthood with romantic competence and relationship satisfaction as mediators. In a sample of 188 emerging adult college students, results revealed that mother and father attachment uniquely predicted greater life satisfaction and less distress. Regression analyses showed that romantic competence predicted better psychosocial adjustment, controlling for attachment style and mutuality, and significantly mediated, along with relationship satisfaction, the link between mother attachment and psychosocial adjustment. Additionally, patterns of secure parental attachment, when compared with avoidant or ambivalent attachment, were associated with better psychosocial adjustment. Clearly, secure attachment provides a template for successful romantic relationship development and thereby contributes to greater psychosocial adjustment.

Interparental conflict and Chinese emerging adults’ romantic relationship quality: Indirect pathways through attachment to parents and interpersonal security

“…According to attachment theory, early experience of attachment shapes individual’s internal working models of interpersonal relationships, which refer to the representational translation of attachment patterns (Bowlby, 1973) and play the role of guiding individuals’ interaction patterns in their later romantic relationships (Roisman, Collins, Sroufe, & Egeland, 2005; Sroufe & Flleson, 1986). Indeed, parents who foster a secure attachment relationship with their offspring provide a model of harmonious and respectful relationship behaviors, which, in turn, lays a foundation for emerging adults to develop high-quality romantic relationships (Johnson & Galambos, 2014; Kochendorfer & Kerns, 2017; Kumar & Mattanah, 2016; Xia, Fosco, Lippold, & Feinberg, 2018), whereas parental attachment insecurity was associated with hostile relationship behavior and negative emotions in adult romantic relationship (Overall, Fletcher, Simpson, & Fillo, 2015; Simpson, Collins, Tran, & Haydon, 2007).…”

“…A central developmental task for emerging adults is to seek intimacy in romantic relationships (Arnett, 2000), as they gradually break away from their original families and coordinate dyadic commitment with individual life plans during the transitional period of emerging adulthood (Shulman & Connolly, 2013). Emerging adults who can successfully build and maintain intimate relationships with partners are more likely to adjust well in later life, such as having better psychological adjustment and higher quality of child-rearing after the transition to parenthood (Fincham & Cui, 2011; Kumar & Mattanah, 2016). In contrast, poor romantic relationship quality during this time is thought to have considerably adverse impacts for well-being across the life span (Whitton & Kuryluk, 2012; Yu, Branje, Keijsers, & Meeus, 2015).…”

Interparental conflict, parental intrusiveness, and interpersonal functioning in emerging adulthood

“…Emerging adults who have experienced IPC are also more likely to prematurely leave a less-than-satisfactory relationship as opposed to working on the relationship, and this attitude causes their overall romantic relationship quality to suffer (Cui, Fincham, & Pasley, 2008). This is particularly important to note because past research indicates that although successful romantic relationships promote healthy adjustment, failure to establish and maintain satisfactory romantic relationships is associated with high levels of emotional distress and impaired well-being across the lifespan (Braithwaite, Delevi, & Fincham, 2010;Kumar & Mattanah, 2016;Reis, Collins, & Berscheid, 2000;Simon & Marcussen, 1999;Weiss & Heyman, 1997). Researchers conclude that through experiences with parents, children and adolescents learn particular interpersonal skills that either promote or hinder future competence in romantic relationships during adulthood (Masarik et al, 2014;Whitton et al, 2008).…”

The first family formation among young Americans: the role of family process

“…A positive parent-adolescent relationship is characterized by higher levels of praise, parent-child interaction time, and supportiveness (Hair et al 2005). It also provides a model for a rewarding romantic relationship and higher psychosocial developments (Kumar and Mattanah 2016). These three subsystems of the family process work interdependently and are reliant on each other (Jones-Sanpei et al 2009).…”