Abstract
This study examines relational health, parental attachment, and psychological distress in college men and women from the perspective of the relational-cultural model ( Jordan, Kaplan, Miller, Stiver, & Surrey, 1991 ; Miller, 1984). Peer, mentor, and community relationships, as well as secure parental attachment and year in school, were hypothesized to predict psychological distress, although predictive patterns were expected to differ in women and men. Overall, results supported the hypotheses. Secure parental attachment predicted decreased distress for both women and men. Authentic, empowered, and engaged community relationships significantly predicted decreased distress for women and men. However, for women, peer relational quality was also a significant predictor. The relational-cultural model, which suggests that differentiation and the “felt sense of self” ( Jordan, 1997 , p. 15) evolve through meaningful connections with others rather than as a result of the separation-individuation process, is applied as a framework for interpreting the findings.
Highlights
This study examines relational health, parental attachment, and psychological distress in college men and women from the perspective of the relational-cultural model (Jordan, Kaplan, Miller, Stiver, & Surrey, 1991; Miller, 1984)
The means of the Parental Attachment Questionnaire (PAQ), Peer, and Mentor scores were significantly higher for females as compared to males, with the magnitude of the mean differences in each case at the small to moderate level
For college women, higher levels of psychological distress were significantly predicted by lower levels of parental attachment and decreased levels of peer and community relational health
Summary
This study examines relational health, parental attachment, and psychological distress in college men and women from the perspective of the relational-cultural model (Jordan, Kaplan, Miller, Stiver, & Surrey, 1991; Miller, 1984). Mentor, and community relationships, as well as secure parental attachment and year in school, were hypothesized to predict psychological distress, predictive patterns were expected to differ in women and men. In a study investigating the relationships among parent and peer attachment, individuation-separation, and college adjustment, Rice et al (1995) found that college women, as compared to men, reported greater trust and communication with peers, greater consistency over time
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