Attachment and personality in the psychological health of adolescents

R. B. Wilkinson; W. A. Walford

doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00151-3

Attachment and personality in the psychological health of adolescents

R. B. Wilkinson^*, W. A. Walford

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

61 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Attachment is argued to be a major influence on psychological health. However, research examining attachment and psychological health in adolescents frequently fails to distinguish between the different dimensions of psychological health and their differential relationship to attachment and key personality and life event variables. This cross-sectional study of 404 adolescents examined the role of attachment, neuroticism, extraversion, and positive and negative life events in psychological well-being and distress. Quality of attachment to parents, but not peers, predicted increased well-being and decreased distress independent of neuroticism, extraversion, and life event variables. It is concluded that while parental attachment is implicated in psychological health, the role and status of measures of quality of peer relationships as attachment is unclear.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	473-484
Number of pages	12
Journal	Personality and Individual Differences
Volume	31
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00151-3
Publication status	Published - 5 Sept 2001

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AB - Attachment is argued to be a major influence on psychological health. However, research examining attachment and psychological health in adolescents frequently fails to distinguish between the different dimensions of psychological health and their differential relationship to attachment and key personality and life event variables. This cross-sectional study of 404 adolescents examined the role of attachment, neuroticism, extraversion, and positive and negative life events in psychological well-being and distress. Quality of attachment to parents, but not peers, predicted increased well-being and decreased distress independent of neuroticism, extraversion, and life event variables. It is concluded that while parental attachment is implicated in psychological health, the role and status of measures of quality of peer relationships as attachment is unclear.

KW - Attachment

KW - Distress

KW - Personality

KW - Well-being

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JO - Personality and Individual Differences

JF - Personality and Individual Differences

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ER -

Attachment and personality in the psychological health of adolescents

Abstract

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