The Relation of Self-reported Adult Attachment Style, Perceived Parental Rearing Style and Anger in Undergraduate Students

Park, Young Joo; Park, Eun Sook; Chang, Sung Ok; Choi, Myung Sook; Song, Jun Ah; Moon, Sohyun

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine the relation of self-reported adult attachment style, perceived parental rearing styles and anger in undergraduate students. METHOD: The six hundred and fifty undergraduate students participating in this descriptive correlational design study were conveniently sampled from K University and S College located in Seoul, Korea. The instruments were Spielberger's state-trait anger expression inventory - Korean version(Chon, Han, Lee & Spielberger, 1997), the instrument for measuring attachment styles by Hazen and Shaver (1987), and Hong's instrument for measuring parental rearing style(2001). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square-test, ANOVA, and cluster analysis using pc-SAS(version 8.0e) program.
RESULTS
The mean scores for trait anger and anger-in were higher in undergraduate students with insecure and ambivalent attachment style compared to students with a secure attachment style. The mean score for anger-control was highest in undergraduate students with a secure attachment style. The parental rearing styles by cluster analysis were grouped as Neglect, Permissive, Democratic, and Protective-control. The mean scores for trait anger, anger-in, and anger-out were higher in undergraduate students with 'Neglect' parental rearing style than in those with 'Democratic' and 'Protective-control' rearing styles.
CONCLUSION
Trait anger and anger expression might be related to an attachment style and/or a parental rearing style.