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Men and Women’s Attachment and Contact Patterns with Parents During the First Year of College

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Abstract

Attending a university involves change and transition and an opportunity to study older adolescents’ attachment. The current study explored potential gender differences in both older adolescents’ need-and nonneed-based interactions with parents and their perceptions of attachment quality. Results indicated that although females did not initiate significantly more need-based contact with parents than males, they received significantly more need-based contact than males that was initiated by their parents. On the other hand, females both initiated and received nonneed-based contact with parents more than males. Consistent with attachment theory, parent–child need- and nonneed-based interactions were related to one’s perceived quality of attachment. Results indicated that adolescent attachment involves both need- and nonneed-based parent–adolescent interactions. The pattern of findings suggests that adolescent males and females may show attachment in different ways.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC

    Christina F. Sorokou

  2. Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC

    Carol S. Weissbrod (Associate Professor)

Authors
  1. Christina F. Sorokou
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  2. Carol S. Weissbrod
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Correspondence to Carol S. Weissbrod.

Additional information

This research is based on the first author’s master’s thesis at American University under the supervision of the second author.

Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC. Received MA in Psychology from American University, Washington, DC. Research interests lie within developmental and clinical psychology, parent–adolescent interactions, and child psychopathology.

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC. Received PhD in Clinical Psychology from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. Research interests include gender issues and developmental and clinical psychology.

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Sorokou, C.F., Weissbrod, C.S. Men and Women’s Attachment and Contact Patterns with Parents During the First Year of College. J Youth Adolescence 34, 221–228 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-005-4304-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-005-4304-5

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