The extent and function of parental attachment among first-year college students

Kenny, Maureen E.

doi:10.1007/bf02141544

Cited by 307 publications

(269 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

243

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This shift in developmental focus enabled researchers to utilize self-report instruments and interviews for assessing attachment in adolescents and adults. Examples of adolescent self-report instruments to measure attachment include the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA; Armsden and Greenberg, 1987), Adolescent Attachment Questionnaire (West et al, 1998), and Parental Attachment Questionnaire (Kenny, 1987). Although there has been substantial development of attachment instruments for early childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, there has been little attention paid to the assessment of attachment in middle-childhood (Greenberg, 1999).…”

Section: Attachment Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure and validity of people in my life: A self-report measure of attachment in late childhood

Ridenour

Greenberg

Cook

2006

J Youth Adolescence

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

No self-report measure of attachment is well validated for middle-childhood. This study examined the validity and factor structure of the People in My Life (PIML) measure in 320 urban, fifth and sixth graders. Validity analyses consisted of correlational analyses between PIML subscales and the Child Behavior Checklist, Delinquency Rating Scale for Self and Others, Heath Resources Inventory, and Reynolds Child Depression Scale. Validity correlations were consistent with a-priori hypotheses. Confirmatory factor analyses consisted of comparison of model fit indices between seven models. Two models fit the data well and both models were consistent with the traditionally used PIML scoring protocol. Moreover, both models were consistent with the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), on which the PIML is modeled, as well as the theoretical underpinnings of attachment in childhood. The PIML and IPPA provide instruments for obtaining a continuous selfreport measure of attachment from middle-childhood through adulthood. KeywordsPeople in my life; Attachment; Late childhood; Factor analysis; Validity Attachment, defined as the type of enduring emotional bond that an individual has toward significant others such as family, friends, and close associates, has long been considered an important factor in social and psychological healthiness (Ainsworth et al., 1978; Bowlby, 1969 Bowlby, /1982Bowlby, /1973Hinde, 1982;Sroufe, 1978). Secure attachment with parents and/or peers in NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript adolescents is associated with life satisfaction, school achievement, self-esteem, and psychological adjustment (Armsden and Greenberg, 1987;Buhrmester, 1990;Bukowski et al., 1993;Hartup, 1996;Nickerson and Nagle, 2004). Children who form insecure attachments are at greater risk for experiencing psychopathology when they are older, even into adulthood (Allen and Land, 1999;Dozier et al., 1999). Hence, children's quality of attachment to others is associated with emotional and behavioral well-being in critical ways. Parental attachmentAttachment theory and research describe types of emotional bonds between parents and children, individuals and their friends and significant others. Some of the central goals of attachment theory and research are to specify the ideal types of attachments, how attachment to others might evolve developmentally as people mature, and the consequences of optimal and non-optimal attachments (Ainsworth, 1991; Bowlby, 1969 Bowlby, /1982Bowlby, /1973 Elicker et al., 1992). A child's attachment to a parent appears to serve as a model for other close relationships (Ainsworth, 1989;Bowlby, 1973;Hazan and Shaver, 1994). Secure attachment to a parent often is a prelude to successful interpersonal skills and intimate relationships (Black and McCartney, 1997;Madden-Derdich et al., 2002) and attachment to a parent remains even after attachments to peers are established (Hazan and Shaver, 1994;Hazan and Zeifman, 1994).However, the association betw...

show abstract

Section: Attachment Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure and validity of people in my life: A self-report measure of attachment in late childhood

Ridenour

Greenberg

Cook

2006

J Youth Adolescence

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, to date, the majority of studies regarding family relationships and college adjustment have included only students from Caucasian, intact, two-parent, middle-class, college-educated families (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987;Kenny, 1987Kenny, , 1990Kenny & Donaldson, 1991Perosa, Perosa, & Tarn, 1996;Protinsky & Gilkey, 1996;Rice et al, 1995).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The majority of the studies in this area have focused on mostly white students from intact two-parent families (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987;Hickman, Bartholomae, & McKenry, 2000;Hoffman, 1984;Hoffman & Weiss, 1987;Kenny, 1987;Kenny & Donaldson, 1992;Lopez, Campbell, & Watkins, 1986, 1988McCarthy, Moller, & Fouladi, 2001), usually volunteers from psychology courses (Cutrona, Cole, Colangelo, Assouline, & Russel, 1994;Fass & Tubman, 2002;Feenstra, Banyard, Rines, & Hopkins, 2001;Haemmerlie, S teen, & Benedicto, 1994;Hickman et al, 2000;Hoffman, 1984;Kemp & Neimeyer, 1999;Kenny & Donaldson, 1992;Lapsley, Rice, & Shadid, 1989;Lopez et al, 1986Lopez et al, , 1988Lopez et al, , 1989Wintre & Sugar, 2000;Wintre & Yaffe, 2000), and often from exclusive private colleges (Hoffman, 1984;Kenny & Donaldson, 1991Lapsley et al, 1989;Rice, Cole, & Lapsley, 1990;Rice, Fitzgerald, Whaley, & Gibbs, 1995). Results are, therefore, limited in their generalizability and this research project expands upon the available knowledge in this area by including students from a more diverse economic background and family make-up.…”

Section: Family Relationship Variablementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, since the majority of the family relationship outcome studies have not included first-generation students (Adams, Ryan, & Keating, 2000;Armsden & Greenberg, 1987;Cutrona et al, 1994;Feenstra et al, 2001;Hoffman, 1984;Hoffman & Weiss, 1987;Kemp & Neimeyer, 1999;Kenny, 1987;Kenny & Donaldson, 1991Lapsley et al, 1989;Lopez et al, 1986Lopez et al, , 1988Lopez et al, , 1989Rice et al, 1990;Rice et al, 1995), it is impossible for higher education institutions to know whether this variable is an important contributor to the success or failure of these students in college. The current study was designed to shed some light on this area of inquiry and to identify some important ways that colleges and universities could support these first time students in graduating.…”

Section: First Generation Variablementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since the sample used consisted of volunteers from an introductory psychology course who were 75% female and from a predominantly white university, these results are somewhat limited (Feenstra et al, 2001). When family relationship interactions were typically positive and encouraging of the student's independence, then students reported seeking out parental help in times of stress (Kenny, 1987). These were first-year, mostly Caucasian, students from intact two-parent families.…”

Section: Family Cohesionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Family relationships and college adjustment of first-generation college students

DeWall

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Relationships With Parents and Peers in Adolescence

Kerr

Stattin

Biesecker

et al. 2003

Handbook of Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

What roles do parents and peers play in adolescent development? The answers that developmental research offers to this question are limited by two features of the literatures on parenting and peer relationships. The first is that these two literatures are largely separate, with little theorizing about connections between parent‐adolescent relationships and adolescents' choices of peer contexts. The second is that they make the simplifying assumption that parents and peers affect adolescents in unidirectional fashion, with little or no recognition of bi‐directional effects. In this chapter, we examine the parenting and peer literatures separately, reviewing the major works upon which broad conclusions have been drawn, and pointing out limitations such as the unidirectional‐effects assumption, construct‐invalid measures, and, for peer research, limiting investigations to peers in the school classroom. Concerning parenting, we argue for a bi‐directional approach to parent‐adolescent relationships. Concerning peers, we argue for ecologically valid research designs. We then offer a theoretical integration of the parenting and peer literatures that sees adolescents as active agents who choose their peer contexts based, in part, on the feelings they have about their experiences in the parent context. The chapter concludes by recommending that research on adolescents' relationships with parents and peers become more integrative, bi‐directional, and developmental, even if these features make research more difficult.

show abstract

The extent and function of parental attachment among first-year college students

Cited by 307 publications

References 18 publications

Structure and validity of people in my life: A self-report measure of attachment in late childhood

Structure and validity of people in my life: A self-report measure of attachment in late childhood

Family relationships and college adjustment of first-generation college students

Relationships With Parents and Peers in Adolescence

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About