Longitudinal Pathways Linking Adolescent Reports of Maternal and Paternal Attachments to Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

Examined in this study were the relations between adolescent ratings of parental attachment (affective quality of parental relationship and parental fostering of autonomy)and self-reported psychological well-being over the 1-year period from the eighth to the ninth grade. Through structural equation modeling, relations between adolescent perceptions of parental attachments and psychological well-being (positive view of self and low levels of depressive symptoms) at Grades 8 and 9 were tested separately for girls and for boys. Adolescent ratings of maternal and paternal attachment at Grade 8 contributed to changes in well-being I year later for boys only. Adolescent boys `ratings of well-being at Grade 8 were associated with changes in ratings of attachment to father from the eighth to the ninth grade.