ERIC Number: EJ894550
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Sep
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1050-8392
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Assessing Adolescents' Attachment Hierarchies: Differences across Developmental Periods and Associations with Individual Adaptation
Rosenthal, Natalie L.; Kobak, Roger
Journal of Research on Adolescence, v20 n3 p678-706 Sep 2010
Adolescents' attachment hierarchies were assessed in a sample of 212 high school and 198 college students. The Important People Interview (IPI) differentiated attachment bonds from other supportive or affiliative relationships and indicated that adolescents show a hierarchical ordering of preferences for multiple attachment figures. Differences in the composition and structure of adolescents' attachment hierarchies were found between the early high school (9th and 10th grades), later high school (11th and 12th grades), and college samples. In the college sample, romantic partners were placed in higher positions in adolescents' hierarchies, fathers were placed in lower positions, and the structure of adolescents' hierarchies were less differentiated than in the high school samples. Individual differences in the composition of adolescents' hierarchies were associated with adjustment outcomes. Friends' placement in higher positions and fathers' exclusion from or placement in quaternary positions was associated with increased behavior problems. Findings demonstrate that the IPI provides a measure of adolescents' attachment hierarchies that is sensitive to developmental stage and individual differences.
Descriptors: High School Students, College Students, Intimacy, Behavior Problems, Adolescents, Developmental Stages, Fathers, Attachment Behavior, Individual Differences, Friendship, Parent Child Relationship, Interpersonal Relationship
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/WileyCDA/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A