The Influence of Insecure Attachment to Parents on Adolescents’ Suicidality

Abstract

Insecure attachment has been identified as a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology and, consequently, for suicidal behavior. We aimed to highlight the relationship between the attachment styles of adolescents and their suicidal behavior and to investigate the role of each parent in the suicidality pathway of adolescents. The sample consisted of 217 adolescent inpatients who were at the highest risk for suicidal behavior and who were hospitalized in the Unit for Intensive Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Self-report questionnaires assessing their attachment to their parents, their acquired capability for attempting suicide, their suicidality, and a number of traumatic life events were administered. The results showed a higher level of attachment avoidance rather than attachment anxiety among the most at-risk adolescents. An acquired capability for suicide (ACS) mediated the positive correlation between adolescents’ attachment avoidance in relation to the mother or father and their suicidality. The suppressive mediating effect of an ACS on the association between attachment anxiety in relation to the father and suicidality was detected. The odds ratio for attempted suicide was more than two times higher for adolescents who were insecurely attached to their father compared to adolescents who were insecurely attached to their mother. Our results confirmed the importance of attachment, especially paternal attachment, in developing suicidality during adolescence. Preventive and clinical interventions should target these important domains with the aim of decreasing suicidality among adolescents.

Adverse childhood experiences and psychopathology in adolescents from northern Chile: the moderating role of the attachment style

“…Regarding the hypotheses related to the negative impact of ACEs and the moderating role of attachment insecurity, we only accepted hypothesis (H3), which established that the negative impact of ACEs on psychopathology expressed in externalizing symptoms was more significant the more attachment insecurity the adolescents presented, i.e., when they reported more significant abandonment anxiety in their interpersonal relationships. These results contribute to the development of the attachment theory (Bowlby, 2003 ), particularly to its presence in the adolescent stage, corroborating that insecure attachment is a risk factor for certain psychopathologies in adolescence (Kerns & Brumariu, 2014 ; Leben Novak et al, 2023 ). Furthermore, the effect of ACEs did not exert any influence on externalizing symptoms among individuals with low levels of abandonment anxiety.…”

“…Thus, some authors have suggested that a secure attachment in childhood (Ainsworth et al, 1978 ) could constitute a protective factor against developing mental health problems or psychopathology in childhood and adulthood (Sund & Wichstrøm, 2002 ). Conversely, an insecure attachment could be a risk factor (although not the only cause) for developing mental health problems or psychopathology in adolescence or adulthood (Kerns & Brumariu, 2014 ; Leben Novak et al, 2023 ). In the same vein, it has been shown that secure attachment could have some influence in the prevention of multiple problematic issues such as violent behavior (Franke, 2000 ), post-traumatic stress (Ensink et al, 2021 ), behavioral problems in children (Barone et al, 2016 ; Edwards et al, 2006 ), dementia (Walsh et al, 2019 ), and even cellular aging (Dagan et al, 2018 ).…”

Parent-child attachment mediates the association between parental conflict perceptions and suicide intention: a cross-sectional survey among middle school students in China

“…This result can be interpreted as the better the resolution and response effect of parental conflict, the better the parent-child attachment becomes, the lower the risk of suicide keeps. The probable reason for this result may be due to the fact that a good resolution and a good response effect in a conflict lead to a high degree of parent-child attachment, a high degree of parent-child attachment can significantly reduce the risk of suicide in adolescents ( 59 ). Our study findings align with research conducted on Western families, particularly from the United States ( 24 – 26 ) and Europe ( 18 , 28 ), indicating the significance of a parent-child relationship built on responsiveness.…”

“…Teenagers with high parent-child attachment scores have low risk of suicide, which is consistent with the conclusions of the relevant studies ( 69 ). The reason is that high-quality parent-child attachment will lead to high social adaptability and cultivate positive psychological qualities, in turn, it reduces various negative emotions and bad behaviors including suicide ( 59 ). LBC is also a high risk of suicide, the reason for this may be that LBC lacks parental love from an early age, which can lead to multiple psychological problems, which leads to a higher risk of suicide ( 70 – 73 ).…”