Parental attachment and emotional distress in the transition to college

The continued attachment to parents and peers in adults has been examined in two ways: the individual difference approach examining characteristic attachment styles across relationships, and the general intensity approach, examining the salience of emotional and behavioral reactions to a particular...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of youth and adolescence 1991-08, Vol.20 (4), p.427-440
Main Authors: Berman, W.H, Sperling, M.B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjustment (to Environment)
adolescents
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Affective Measures
Attachment Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
College Freshmen
College Students
Colleges & universities
Depression (Psychology)
Emotional Problems
Emotions
Females
gender differences
Higher Education
Individual Differences
interpersonal relationships
Males
Medical sciences
Mood disorders
Parent Child Relationship
parent-child relationships
Parents & parenting
Personal relationships
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Separation Anxiety
Sex Differences
Social research
Students
universities
Young Adults
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Summary:The continued attachment to parents and peers in adults has been examined in two ways: the individual difference approach examining characteristic attachment styles across relationships, and the general intensity approach, examining the salience of emotional and behavioral reactions to a particular separation. The present study examines the intensity of attachment to parents at the transition to college. This voluntary separation from parents was expected to elicit heightened attachment for college students, especially residential students, which would decrease over time. In addition, it was expected that high levels of parental attachment at the beginning of college would predispose students to later depression. Results indicate that parental attachment decreases during the first semester of college only for residential students. In addition, maternal attachment is significantly higher for females than for males. Finally, high levels of parental attachment in males at the beginning of college were predictive of high levels of depressed mood at the end of the first semester, while no relationship was found for females.
ISSN:0047-2891
1573-6601
DOI:10.1007/BF01537184