Romantic Attachment Style Research Articles

Self-esteem and perceived quality of romantic and family relationships in young adults

A questionnaire study was conducted with young adults ( M = 26) in which they characterized the degree of problems experienced in their family as adults and during childhood, construals of their relationship with their mother and father (warm, cold, or inconsistent), construals of their adult romantic relationships (secure, avoidant, or anxious), and their social and performance self-esteem. Family problems (childhood and adulthood) were more frequently reported for mothers and fathers described as being cold or inconsistent than those described as warm. Avoidant adult romantic attachment style was associated with cold parenting styles, family problems, and lower social, but not performance, self-esteem, compared to those reporting the secure style. Those with an anxious adult romantic style demonstrated lower performance, but not social, self-esteem, compared to those reporting the secure style. This suggests a compensatory effect in the self-system. The retrospective nature of the design precludes conclusions about the developmental origins of these findings; however, the continuity within the self-system and across relationships has important implications for understanding an individual's future behavior in both family and romantic relationships.

An organizational scheme for attachment classification

Given the recent findings regarding the increased evidence for the presence of the alexithymia in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the construct of alexithymia in parents of children with ASD and its effect on adult romantic attachment style of parents, family functioning and parent-child relationship were investigated.The sample included children diagnosed as having ASD, developmental delay (DD), and 27 typically developing children aged 1–5 years and their parents. The Crowell procedure, an observational and structured assessment was performed, and the quality of the parent-child relationship was assessed using the Parent-Infant Relationship-Global Assessment Scale (PIR-GAS) based on DC: 0–5. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, Experiences in Close Relationships Revised, and the Family Assessment Device were administered to the parents.PIR-GAS scores were lower in the ASD group compared with the scores of the other groups. Family functioning rated by fathers of children with DD was lower than in the other groups. However, there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of alexithymia levels, and parent’s own attachment styles in romantic relationships.ASD was found to be an independent predictor for disordered relationship between children and their parents. Appropriate family interventions focusing on enhancing social interaction and emotional development may be beneficial in the treatment of ASD.