Parent-Child Attachment and Romantic Relationship among Young Adults in Malaysia

Fatahyah Yahya, Et. al.

doi:10.17762/turcomat.v12i5.2026

Abstract

The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between Parent- Child Attachment on Romantic Relationship among Young Adults in Malaysia. In the present study, researcher established the correlation between the two variables which are Parent-child attachment and romantic relationship. Total of 100 participants (36= Male; 64: Female) participated in this study. Two (2) instruments have been used to measure the variables; Armsden and Greenberg’s Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) and Experiences in Close Relationships scale (ECR). Results indicated that there was a positive moderate significant relationship between parent child attachment and romantic relationship among young adults in Malaysia (r=.322, p<0.01). As a recommendation, a semi-structured interview can be administered to investigate the nature of attachment relationships in adult partnerships.

Highlights

Background of the StudyThere are quite a number of research that has been conducted to investigate the effect of how the level of parentchild attachment security affects the level of romantic responsiveness and co-operation between romantic partners or couples (Millings, Walsh, Hepper, & O’Brien, 2013)
According to Creasy and Ladd (2004), young adult with attachment that is secured shows better in managing conflict in their romantic relationships or critical thinking abilities than young adult with attachment that was insecure with their parents
This study only focuses on father-child attachment instead of both parents

Summary

Introduction

Background of the StudyThere are quite a number of research that has been conducted to investigate the effect of how the level of parentchild attachment security affects the level of romantic responsiveness and co-operation between romantic partners or couples (Millings, Walsh, Hepper, & O’Brien, 2013). Some news from Malaysia Kini (2019) has reported that a total of 4,963 cases of domestic abuse that has been reported in 2018 and the statistic showed by Women's Aid Organisation (2020) reported that most of the domestic violence cases are happened to be among young adult aged 26 to 35. These data have given insight for the researcher to focus on the relationship of Parent- Child Attachment on Romantic Relationship among Young Adults in Malaysia. Anxiety of attachments refers to hyper-activation of attachment need as reflected in intense possessiveness and fear of being abandoned (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007)

Objectives

Methods

Results