Coping With Relationship Stressors: The Impact of Different Working Models of Attachment and Links to Adaptation

• NCJ Number: 214323
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 25-39
• Author(s): Inge Seiffge-Krenke
• Date Published: February 2006
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): SE 408/10-1; SE 408/18-1
• Sponsoring Agency: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This German study examined the role of "working models of attachment" (fixed patterns of thinking, feeling, and reacting in interaction with the behaviors and feelings of others toward oneself) in adolescents' process of dealing with stress in a relationship, with attention to long-term adaptation.

Abstract

All the study participants reported significantly higher stress in relationships with close friends and romantic partners compared to stress in relationships with parents. Stress was highest in the early stage of the relationship, and it decreased over time. Appraisals of and reactions to stress in relationships depended on individuals' working models of attachments, particularly in interactions with parents. Youth with "preoccupied" working models of attachment (use of avoidance behaviors in coping with stress) reported stable, high levels of stress with parents from ages 14 to 17. On the other hand, youth with "secure" working models of attachment (perception of parents as supportive and caring during conflicts) and "dismissive" working models of attachment (perception of weak family support and weak social support outside the family) had lower perceived levels of stress. Participants with a secure or dismissive working model of attachment perceived stress with parents as being significantly less upsetting compared to stress experienced with peers and romantic partners. In contrast, participants with a preoccupied working model of attachment perceived parents as a major source of distress throughout adolescence. Participants with a secure working model of attachment perceived themselves as being active, competent persons with significant support from others, which makes them better equipped to manage stressful situations with significant others throughout youth and adulthood. This was a 7-year study of 112 individuals in terms of how they dealt with peer and parental relationships during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Working models of attachment were assessed with the Adult Attachment Interview. 4 tables and 59 references