The role of Maternal Attachment Styles in Predicting the Parent-Child Relationship and Anxiety Disorders in Children

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess the role of maternal attachment styles in predicting anxiety disorders in children. The present correlational study was conducted on 300 mothers and primary school students in Tehran selected through multistage random cluster sampling. The data collection tools used included the Adult Attachment Scale and Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. The data obtained were then analyzed using the multivariate regression, the multivariate analysis of variance and the Pearson Correlation test. The results obtained showed that attachment styles predict anxiety disorders. There was a negative relationship between the secure attachment style and children’s anxiety and a positive relationship between the insecure attachment style and anxiety disorders. Problems in separation, the lack of tolerance for turmoil and the tendency to believe that events are out of one’s own control are mechanisms that explain the relationship between attachment styles and anxiety. Anxiety disorders associated with the parent-child interactions can be reduced through identifying the attachment style with the parents as a factor associated with children’s anxiety.Keywords: attachment styles; anxiety disorders