Attachment Security with Mother and Father: Associations with Adolescents' Reports of Interpersonal Behavior with Parents and Peers

Associations between adolescents' attachment security with mother, attachment security with father, and their affect and behavior in social interactions with parents and peers were investigated. One hundred and five 15-16-year-olds (75 girls and 30 boys) rated their security of attachment to each parent and emotional expressiveness, and completed a daily diary for one week, describing positive or negative interactions with parents and with close friends. Diaries were coded for self disclosure, emotional expressiveness, conflict, and positive and negative affect. With respect to attachment to mother, as hypothesized, secure participants described less affectively negative interactions with parents. In resolving conflict with parents, dismissing participants reported using more disengagement. Securely attached adolescents rated themselves as more emotionally expressive than did insecurely attached adolescents. With respect to attachment to father, secure adolescents reported less conflict in their peer interactions. Adolescents who were securely attached to one or both parents reported significantly more positive and fewer negative interactions with their parents than did teens who were insecurely attached to both parents. These findings suggest that, during adolescence, attachment security to mother and to father may differentially influence aspects of teens' interpersonal behavior and the affective quality of their relationships with both parents and peers.