Parent-Child Attachment and Romantic Relationship: Is There a Relationship Between Parent-Child Attachment and Young Adults’ Romantic Relationships?

Abstract

Many researchers have found that the key to future adaptations or maladaptations of children is the attachment they form with their parents (Davies & Sturge-Apple, 2007; Marvin & Britner, 2008). Early research on attachment has highlighted the impact of parent-child attachment continuing across life (Bowlby, 1982). Recent research has shown that insecure attachment during childhood impacts young adults’ attachment with their parents and in turn, impacts different aspects of their lives. However, no or limited studies have explored the direct relationship between attachment styles and young adults’ romantic relationships among Maldivian young adults. This study aimed to fill this gap by assessing the relationship between young adult’s parent child attachment, and the quality of romantic relationships among young adults in Higher Education Institutions in the Maldives. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 463 students aged 18 to 28 in higher education institutions in the Maldives. The data were collected using the Perceived Relationship Quality Scale by Fletcher et al. (2000) and the Attachment to Parent/Caregiver Inventory by Hu (2009). The data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and PLS SEM software. The results showed high levels of avoidant attachment with both mother and father among the participants, which was negatively associated with their current romantic relationship quality. In addition, it also showed an association between mother child anxious attachment, father-child anxious attachment, and the romantic relationship quality of young adults. Hence, a direct connection between insecure attachment styles (avoidant attachment and anxious attachment) and low levels of relationship quality was established.