A Study of Relationship between Adolescent Attachment Patterns and Parenting Behaviors

Noh, Kyung Sun; Huh, Myo Yeon; Hong, Hyun Ju

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study is to investigate the Korean adolescent attachment patterns and their relations to parenting behaviors.
METHODS
The subjects of this study were 792 high school students in Seoul. We assessed parenting behaviors perceived by adolescents and attachment type and quality of using Parenting Behavior Inventory, Self-report Attachment Style and Revised Adult Attachment Scale.
RESULTS
1) On the attachment pattern of adolescent, it revealed that 47.6% of the subjects were classified as "secure", 32.2% as "preoccupied", 14.6% as "dismissing" and 5.6% as "fearful". 2) The parental neglect was related to fearful and preoccupied patterns and parental inconsistency was related to preoccupied pattern. In terms of attachment quality and parental behavior, more parental affection and reasoning were related with more reliance. And more affection and less intrusiveness, neglect, and inconsistency were related with more closeness. More affection and reasoning and less physical abuse, intrusivenes, over-expectation, neglect, inconsistency were related with less anxiety.
CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that adolescent attachment pattern would be transitional compared with that of infancy and adult. More positive parenting behavior such as affection and reasoning, and less negative parenting behavior such as physical abuse, intrusiveness, neglect, inconsistency were related with secure attachment pattern. Also, less positive parenting behavior such as affection and reasoning, and more negative parenting behavior such as physical abuse, intrusiveness, neglect, inconsistency were related with insecure attachment patterns.