Abstract
Highly satisfying social relationships make us happy and healthy—they fill us with joy and a sense of meaning and purpose. But do all the relationships in our lives contribute equally to our well-being and do some people benefit more from certain relationships? The current study examined associations between the satisfaction of specific relationships within a family (i.e., with parents, siblings) and adjustment (i.e., life satisfaction and depressive symptoms) among 572 emerging adults aged 18–25 (Mage = 19.95, SD = 1.42; 77.4% female). Overall, relationship satisfaction with mothers and fathers was associated with better adjustment. Attachment anxiety and avoidance moderated associations between relationship-specific satisfaction and adjustment. We discuss the findings in the context of the shifting of attachment functions during emerging adulthood and the dynamic nature of close relationships across the lifespan.
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The study was funded by the National Institute of Aging of the National Institute of Health under Award Number 2R03AG054705-01A1. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Chopik, W.J., Nuttall, A.K. & Oh, J. Relationship-Specific Satisfaction and Adjustment in Emerging Adulthood: The Moderating Role of Adult Attachment Orientation. J Adult Dev 29, 40–52 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-021-09380-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-021-09380-6