Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper reviews the literature on adolescent attachment and family communication and conflict in adolescence, makes suggestions for future research based on the findings, and reports the results of a pilot study to investigate the contribution of parental attachment and expectations to family conflict during adolescence. Subjects (N = 112; 53 parents; 59 adolescents) participated in a study that investigated adolescent-parent interactions. Investigation of parental attachment style, expectation of conflict during adolescence, and separation anxiety as related to family conflict did not reveal any significant association. Adolescent perceptions of parental attachment were also investigated and found to be significant predictors of family conflict. Self-report scales and questionnaires were used to measure and analyze these aspects of the family and individual. Several limitations, which may provide an explanation for the weak results of this study, are identified.