Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T23:59:44.517Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Attachment, Emotion Regulation and Coping in Portuguese Emerging Adults: A Test of a Mediation Hypothesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Joana Cabral ,
Paula M. Matos ,
Wim Beyers  and
Bart Soenens
Joana Cabral*
Affiliation:
Universidade do Porto (Portugal)
Paula M. Matos
Affiliation:
Universidade do Porto (Portugal)
Wim Beyers
Affiliation:
University of Gent (Belgium)
Bart Soenens
Affiliation:
University of Gent (Belgium)
*
Corresponding concerning this article should be addressed to Joana Cabral. E-mail: cabral.jo@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Although the quality of parent-adolescent emotional bonds has consistently been proposed as a major influence on young adult's psycho-emotional functioning, the precise means by which these bonds either facilitate or impede adaptive coping are not well-understood. In an effort to advance this inquiry, the present study examined interrelationships among measures of parental attachment, emotion regulation processes, and preferred coping strategies within a sample of 942 college freshmen. Structural Equation Modelling was used to test whether the link between attachment to parents and the use of particular coping strategies is mediated by differences in emotion regulation mechanisms. As hypothesized, differences in attachment to parents predicted differences in the use of emotion regulation mechanisms and coping strategies. More specifically, having a close emotional bond, feeling supported in autonomy processes and having (moderately) low levels of separation anxiety toward parents predict more constructive emotion regulation mechanisms and coping strategies. Additionally emotion regulation was found to (partly or totally) mediate the association between attachment and coping.

Aunque la calidad de los lazos emocionales entre padres y adolescentes siempre ha sido propuesta como una importante influencia en el funcionamiento psico-emocional del adulto joven, los mecanismos precisos por los cuales estos lazos facilitan o impiden el afrontamiento adaptativo no son bien conocidos. En un esfuerzo por avanzar en esta indagación, el presente estudio examinó las interrelaciones entre las medidas de apego parental, los procesos de regulación emocional, y las estrategias preferidas de afrontamiento en una muestra de 942 estudiantes de primer año de universidad. Para probar si la relación entre el apego a los padres y el uso de determinadas estrategias de afrontamiento está mediada por las diferencias en los mecanismos de regulación emocional, se utilizaran Modelos de Ecuaciones Estructurales. Como fue hipotetizado, las diferencias en el apego a los progenitores se demostraron predictivas de diferencias en el uso de los mecanismos de regulación emocional y estrategias de afrontamiento. Más específicamente, tener un vínculo afectivo cercano con los padres, sentir su apoyo en los procesos de autonomía y sentir niveles (moderadamente) bajos de ansiedad de separación hacia los progenitores, son condiciones predictivas de mecanismos de regulación emocional y estrategias de afrontamiento más constructivos. Además, se encontró en la regulación emocional un mediador (total o parcial) para la asociación entre el apego y el afrontamiento.

Keywords

attachment to parentscopingemotion regulationemerging adultsstructural equations modellingapego a los padresafrontamientoregulación emocionaladultos emergentesmodelos de ecuaciones estructurales
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , November 2012 , pp. 1000 - 1012
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ainsworth, M. D. S., Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1986). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Allen, J. P., & Hauser, S. T. (1996). Autonomy and relatedness in adolescent-family interactions as predictors of young adults' states of mind regarding attachment. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 793–809. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954579400007434CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allen, J. P., & Land, D. (1999). Attachment in adolescence. In Cassidy, J. & Shaver, P. R. (Eds.), Handbook of attachment: Theory, research, and clinical applications (pp. 319–335). New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Allen, J. P., McElhaney, K. B., Land, D. J., Kuperminc, G. P., Moore, C. W., O'Beirne-Kelly, H., & Kilmer, S. L. (2003). A secure base in adolescence: Markers of attachment security in the mother-adolescent relationship. Child Development, 74, 292–307. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.t01-1-00536CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (1987). The inventory of parent and peer attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16, 427–454. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02202939CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469–480. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnett, J. J. (2004). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226–244. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.61.2.226CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernier, A., Larose, S., Boivin, S., & Soucy, N. (2004). Attachment state of mind: Implications for adjustment to college. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19, 783–806. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0743558403260096CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowlby, J. (1978). Attachment and loss, Vol.1: Attachment. New York, NY: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. London, England: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Campos, J. J., Frankel, C. B., & Camras, L. (2004). On the nature of emotion regulation. Child Development, 75, 377–394. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00681.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M.F., & Kumari Weintraub, J. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267–283. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.56.2.267CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cassidy, J. (1994). Emotion regulation: Influences of attachment relationships. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59, 228–249. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1166148CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chorpita, B. F., & Barlow, D. H. (1998). The development of anxiety: The role of control in the early environment. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 3–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.124.1.3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, K. K., Bormann, C. A., Cropanzano, R. S., & James, K. (1995). Validation evidence for three coping measures. Journal of Personality Assessment, 65, 434–455. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa6503_5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Contreras, J. M., Kerns, K. A., Weimer, B. L., Gentzler, A. L., & Tomich, P. L. (2000). Emotion regulation as a mediator of associations between mother-child attachment and peer relationships in middle childhood. Journal of Family Psychology, 14, 111–124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0893-3200.14.1.111CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Diamond, L. M., & Aspinwall, L. G. (2003). Emotion regulation across the life span: An integrative perspective emphasizing self-regulation, positive affect, and dyadic processes. Motivation and Emotion, 27, 125–156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1024521920068CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folkman, S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2004). Coping: Pitfalls and promise. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 745–774. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141456CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fonagy, P., Steele, M., Steele, H., Moran, G. S., & Higgitt, A. C. (1991). The capacity for understanding mental states: The reflective self in parent and child and its significance for security of attachment. Infant Mental Health Journal, 12, 201–218. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/1097-0355(199123)12:3<201::AIDIMHJ2280120307>3.0.CO;2-73.0.CO;2-7>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuendeling, J. M. (1998). Affect regulation as a stylistic process within adult attachment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 291–322. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265407598153001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Furman, W., & Buhrmester, D. (1992). Age and sex differences in perceptions of networks of personal relationships. Child Development, 63, 103–115. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1130905CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gentzler, A. L., & Kerns, K. A. (2006). Adult attachment and memory of emotional reactions to negative and positive events. Cognition & Emotion, 20, 20–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02699930500200407CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gohm, C. L., & Clore, G. L. (2002). Four latent traits of emotional experience and their involvement in well-being, coping, and attributional style. Cognition and Emotion, 16, 495–518. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02699930143000374CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenberger, E., & McLaughlin, S. C. (1998). Attachment, coping, and explanatory style in late adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27, 121–139. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1021607627971CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2, 271–299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//1089-2680.2.3.271CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gross, J. J., & Thompson, R. A. (2007). Emotion regulation: Conceptual foundations. In Gross, J. J. (Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation (pp. 3–26). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Grotevant, H. D. (1998). Adolescent development in family contexts. In Damon, W. & Eisenberg, N., (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (5th Ed.), Vol 3, Social, emotional, and personality development (pp. 1097–1149). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Inc.Google Scholar
Gouveia, T., & Matos, P. M. (2011). Manual QVPM: Questionário de Vinculação ao Pai e á Mãe [QVPM manual - attachment to mother and father questionnaire]. Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/manualqvpm/Google Scholar
Hambleton, R. K. (2005). Issues, designs, and technical guidelines for adapting tests into multiple languages and cultures. In Hambleton, R. K. Merenda, P. F., & Spielberger, C. D. (Eds.), Adapting educational and psychological tests for cross-cultural assessment (pp.3–38). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Harvey, M., & Byrd, M. (2000). Relationship between adolescents' attachment styles and family functioning. Adolescence, 35, 345–356.Google ScholarPubMed
Hoffman, J. A. (1984). Psychological separation of late adolescents from their parents. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31, 170–178. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-0167.31.2.170CrossRefGoogle Scholar
John, O. P., & Gross, J. J. (2007). Individual differences in emotion regulation. In Gross, J. J. (Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation (pp. 351–372). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Kenny, D. A. (2006). Mediation. Retrieved from http://davidakenny.net/cm/mediate.htm.Google Scholar
Kenny, M. E. (1987). The extent and function of parental attachment among 1st-Year College-Students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16(1), 17–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02141544CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, M. (1990). College seniors' perceptions of parental attachments: The value and stability of family ties. Journal of College Student Development, 31, 39–46.Google Scholar
Kobak, R., & Sceery, A. (1988). Attachment in late adolescence: Working models, affect regulation, and representations of self and others. Child Development, 59, 135–146. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1130395CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kallasmaa, T., & Pulver, A. (2000). The structure and properties of the Estonian COPE Inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 29, 881–894. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(99)00240-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lapsley, D. K., & Edgerton, J. (2002). Separation-tndividualization, adult attachment style, and college adjustment. Journal of Counseling & Development, 80, 484–492. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2002.tb00215.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lazarus, R. S. (1993). Coping theory and research: Past, present, and future. Psychosomatic Medicine, 55, 234–247.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal and coping. New York, NY: Springer.Google Scholar
Lyne, K., & Roger, D. (2000). A psychometric re-assessment of the COPE questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences, 29, 321–335. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(99)00196-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Little, T. D., Cunningham, W. A., Shahar, G., & Widaman, K. F. (2002). To parcel or not to parcel: Exploring the question, weighing the merits. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 151–173. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litman, J. A. (2006). The COPE inventory: Dimensionality and relationships with approach- and avoidance-motives and positive and negative traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 41, 273–284. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.11.032CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lopez, F. G. (1996). Attachment-related predictors of constructive thinking among college students. Journal of Counseling & Development, 75, 58–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1996.tb02315.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lopez, F. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). Dynamic processes underlying adult attachment organization: Toward an attachment theoretical perspective on the healthy and effective self. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47, 283–300. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.47.3.283CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lopez, F. G., Maurácio, A., Gormley, B., Simko, T., & Berger, E. (2001). Adult attachment orientations and college student distress: The mediating role of problem coping styles. Journal of Counseling and Development, 79, 459–464. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2001.tb01993.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Main, M. (1990). Cross-cultural studies of attachment organization: Recent studies, changing methodologies, and the concept of conditional strategies. Human Development, 33, 48–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000276502CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Main, M. (1996). Introduction to the special section on attachment and psychopathology: 2. Overview of the field of attachment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 237–243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.64.2.237CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matos, P. M., & Costa, M. E. (2004, May). Assessing attachment representations in adolescence: the father/mother attachment questionnaire. Poster presented at IX Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence, Porto, Portugal.Google Scholar
McCarthy, C. J., Moller, N. P., & Fouladi, R. T. (2001). Continued attachment to parents: Its relationship to affect regulation and perceived stress among college students. Measurement & Evaluation in Counseling & Development, 33, 198–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mikulincer, M., & Florian, V. (1998). The relationship between adult attachment styles and emotional and cognitive reactions to stressful events. In Simpson, J. A & Rholes, W. S.. (Eds.), Attachment theory and close relationships (pp. 143–165). New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P. R., & Pereg, D. (2003). Attachment theory and affect regulation: The dynamics, development, and cognitive consequences of attachment-related strategies. Motivation and Emotion, 27, 77–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1024515519160CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moos, R. H., & Moos, B. S. (1986). Family Environment Scale Manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Noom, J. M., Decovic, M., & Meeus, W. H. J. (1999). Autonomy, attachment and psychosocial adjustment during adolescence: A double-edged sword?. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 771–783. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jado.1999.0269CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ognibene, T. C., & Collins, N. L. (1998). Adult attachment styles, perceived social support and coping strategies. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 323–345. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265407598153002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, G., Tuppling, H., & Brown, L. B. (1979). A parental bonding instrument. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 52, 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8341.1979.tb02487.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rice, K. G., FitzGerald, P. D., Whaley, T. J., & Gibbs, C. L. (1995). Cross-sectional and longitudinal examination of attachment, separation-individuation, and, college student adjustment. Journal of Counseling and Development, 73, 463–474. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1995.tb01781.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salovey, P., Mayer, M., Goldman, S. L., Turvey, C., & Palfai, T. P. (1995). Emotional attention, clarity, and repair: Exploring emotional intelligence using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale. In Pennebaker, J.W. (Ed.), Emotion, disclosure, and health (pp. 125–154). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seiffge-Krenke, I., & Beyers, W. (2005). Coping trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood: Links to attachment state of mind. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 15, 561–582. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2005.00111.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2002). Attachment-related psychodynamics. Attachment & Human Development, 4, 133–161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616730210154171CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shaver, P. R., & Mikulincer, M. (2007). Adult attachment strategies and the regulation of emotion. In Gross, J. J. (Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation (pp. 446–465). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Sroufe, L. A. (2005). Attachment and development: A prospective, longitudinal study from birth to adulthood. Attachment and Human Development, 7, 349–367. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616730500365928CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sroufe, L. A., & Waters, E. (1977). Attachment as an organizational construct. Child Development, 48, 1184–1199. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1128475CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steiger, J. H., Shapiro, A., & Browne, M. W. (1985). On the multivariate asymptotic distribution of sequential chi-square statistics, Psychometrika, 50, 253–263. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02294104Google Scholar
Thompson, R. A. (1994). Emotion regulation: A theme in search of definition. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 59, 25–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1166137CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2003). Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 247–259. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1023910315561CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vivona, M. (2000). Parental attachment styles of late adolescents: Qualities of attachment relationships and consequences for adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 47, 316–329. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.47.3.316CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waters, E., Crowell, J., Elliot, M., Corcoran, D., & Treboux, D. (2002). Bowlby's secure base theory and the social/personality psychology of attachment styles: Work(s) in progress. Attachment & Human Development, 4, 230–242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616730210154216CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wei, M., Heppner, P. P., & Mallinckrodt, B. (2003). Perceived coping as a mediator between attachment and psychological distress: A structural equation modeling approach. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50, 438–447. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.50.4.438CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wei, M., Voge, l D. L., Tsun-Yao, Ku., & Zakalik, R. A. (2005). Adult attachment, affect regulation, negative mood, and interpersonal problems: The mediating roles of emotional reactivity and emotional cutoff. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52, 14–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.1.14CrossRefGoogle Scholar