The attachment model holds considerable promise for understanding the challenges and adjustment vicissitudes of late adolescent college students. The model is potentially valuable for counseling psychologists, further more, in linking knowledge of developmental theory with counseling intervention and prevention. Existing research supports an association between secure parental attachment and adjustment for first-year college students. A variety of methodological challenges, however, need to be addressed in order to fully assess the validity of attachment-based developmental and intervention models, especially for women and culturally and racially diverse college students.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ainsworth, M.D.S. (1989). Attachments beyond infancy. American Psychologist, 44, 709-716.
2.
Ainsworth, M.D.S. , Blehar, M. C., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A psychological study of the Strange Situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
3.
Allen, W. R. (1985). Black student, White campus: Structural, interpersonal, and psychological correlates of success. Journal of Negro Education, 54, 137-147.
4.
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, 427-453.
5.
Arnstein, R. (1980). The student, the family, the university, and the transition to adulthood. Adolescent psychiatry, 8, (pp. 160-172). Chicago: University of Chicago.
6.
Baltes, P. , & Reese, H. (1984). Developmental psychology: An advanced textbook. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
7.
Benson, M. J. , Harris, P. B., & Rogers, C. S. (1992). Identity consequences of attachment to mothers and fathers among late adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 2, 187-204.
8.
Berman, W. H. , & Sperling, M. B. (1991). Parental attachment and emotional distress in the transition to college. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 20, 427-440.
9.
Blain, M. , Thompson, J. & Whiffen, V. (1993). Attachment and perceived social support in late adolescence: The interaction between working models of self and others. Journal of Adolescent Research, 8, 226-241.
10.
Blos, P. (1967). The second individuation process of-adolescence. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 72, 162-186.
11.
Blustein, D. L. , Prezioso, M. S., & Schultheiss, D. P. (this issue). Attachment theory and career development: Current Status and future directions. The Counseling Psychologist, 23, 416-432.
12.
Bowlby, J. (1958). The nature of the child's tie to his mother. International Journal of Psycho-analysis, XXXIX, 1-23.
13.
Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss, Vol. II: Separation. New York: Basic Books.
14.
Bowlby, J. (1980).Attachment and loss, Vol. II-.Loss, sadness and depression. New York: Basic Books.
15.
Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss, Vol. I: Attachment. New York: Basic Books. (Original work published in 1969)
16.
Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. New York: Basic Books.
17.
Brack, G. , Gay, M. F., & Matheny, K. B. (1993). Relationships between attachment and coping resources among late adolescents. Journal of College Student Development, 34, 212-215.
18.
Bradford, E. , & Lyddon, W. J. (1993). Cuffent parental attachment: Its relation to perceived psychological distress and relationship satisfaction in college students. Journal of College Student Development, 34, 256-260.
19.
Bretherton, I. (1985). Attachment theory: Retrospect and prospect [Monograph]. In L. Bretherton & E. Waters (Eds.), Growing Points of Attachment Theory and Research, 3-35.
20.
Bretherton, I. (1992). The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Developmental Psychology, 28, 759-775.
21.
Brooks-Gunn, J. (1991). How stressful is the transition to adolescence for girls? In M. E. Colten & S. Gore (Eds.), Adolescent stress: Causes and consequences. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
22.
Cermkovich, S. A. , & Giordano, P C. (1987). Family relationships and delinquency. Criminology, 25, 295-321.
23.
Chickering, A. (1969). Education and identity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
24.
Chodorow, N. (1978). The reproduction of mothering. Berkeley: University of California Press.
25.
Cicchetti, D. (1984). The emergence of developmental psychopathology. Child Development, 55, 1-7.
26.
deCindio, L. A. , Floyd, H. H., Wilcox, J., & McSeveney, D. R. (1983). Race effects in a model of parent-peer orientation. Adolescence, 18, 369-379.
27.
Cohler, B. , & Geyer, S. (1982). Psychological autonomy and interdependence within the family. In F. Walsh (Ed.), Normal family processes (pp. 196-228). New York: Guilford Press.
28.
Compas, B. E. (1987). Coping with stress during childhood and adolescence. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 393-403.
29.
Cummings, E. M. , & Cicchetti, D. (1990). Towards a transactional model of relations between attachment and depression. In M. Greenberg, D. Cicchetti, & M. Cummings (Eds.), Attachment in the preschool years (pp. 339-372). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
30.
Cutrona, C. E. , Cole, V., Colangelo, N., Assouline, S. G., & Russel, D. W. (1994). Perceived parental social support and academic achievement: An attachment theory perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 66, 369-378.
31.
Erikson, E. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: W. W. Norton.
32.
Franz, C. , & White, K. (1985). Individuation and attachment in personality development: Extending Erikson's theory. Journal of Personality, 53, 224-256.
33.
Freud, A. (1969). Adolescence as a developmental disturbance. In Kaplan, G., & Lebovici, S. (Eds.), Adolescence: Psychosocial Perspectives (pp. 5-10). New York: Basic Books.
34.
Garmezy, N. , & Rutter, M. (Eds). (1983). Stress, coping, and development in children. New York: McGraw-Hill.
35.
Gelso, C. J. , & Fassinger, R. E. (1992). Personality, development, and counseling psychology: Depth, ambivalence, and actualization. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 39, 3, 275-298.
36.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
37.
Gilligan, C. (1988). Adolescent development reconsidered. In C. Gilligan., J. V. Ward, & J. M. Taylor (Eds.), Mapping the moral domain (pp. vi-xxxviii). Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press.
38.
Giordano, P. C. , Cermkovich, S. A., & DeMaris, A. (1993). The family and peer relations of black adolescents. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 55, 277-287.
39.
Gotlib, I. H. , Mount, J. H., Cordy, N. I., & Whiffen, V. E. (1988). Depression and perceptions of early parenting: A longitudinal investigation. British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 24-27.
40.
Greenberg, M. T. , Siegel, J. M., & Leitch, C. J. (1983). The nature and importance of attachment relationships to parents and peers during adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 12, 373-386.
41.
Grotevant, H. D. , & Cooper, C. R. (1986). Individuation in family relationships. Human Development, 29, 82-100.
42.
Guisinger, S. , & Blatt, S. (1994). Individuality and relatedness: Evolution of a fundamental dialectic. American Psychologist, 49, 104-111.
43.
Hammen, C. (1990). Cognitive approaches to depression in children. In B. Lahey & A. E. Kazdin (Eds.), Advances in Clinical Child Psychology, Vol. 13 (pp. 139-173). New York: Plenum Press.
44.
Harrison, A. O. , Wilson, M. N., Pine, C. J., Chan, S., & Buriel, R. (1990). Family ecologies of ethnic minority children. Child Development, 61, 347-362.
45.
Heath, D. H. (1968). Growing up in college: Liberal education and maturity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
46.
Hill, J. P. , & Holmbeck, G. N. (1986). Attachment and autonomy during adolescence. Annals of Child Development, 3, 145-189.
47.
Hoetler, J. W. (1982). Race differences in selective credulity and self-esteem. Sociological Quarterly, 23, 527-537.
48.
Holmbeck, G. N. , & Wandrei, M. L. (1993). Individual and relational predictors of adjustment in first-year college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 40, 73-78.
49.
Holtzen, D. , & Kenny, M. E. (1994). Parental attachment, homophobia and gay/lesbian identity development. Manuscript in preparation.
50.
Hughes, M. , & Demo, D. H. (1989). Self-perceptions of Black Americans: Self-esteem and personal efficacy. American Journal of Sociology, 95, 132-159.
51.
Jordan, J. , Kaplan, A., Miller, J. B., Stiver, I., & Surrey, J. L. (Eds.). (1991). Women's growth in connection: Writing from the Stone Center. New York: Guilford.
52.
Josselson, R. (1988). The embedded self: I and thou revisited. In D. K. Lapsley & F. C. Power (Eds.), Self ego, and identity: Integrative approaches (pp. 91-108). New York: Springer.
53.
Kaplan, A. G. (1991). The "self-in-relation": Implications for depression in women. In J. Jordan, A. Kaplan, J. B. Miller, I. Stiver, & J. L. Surrey (Eds.), Women's growth in connection: Writing from the Stone Center (pp. 206-222). New York: Guilford.
54.
Kenny, M. E. (1987). The extent and function of parental attachment among first-year college students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16, 17-27.
55.
Kenny, M. E. (1990). College seniors' perceptions of parental attachments: The value and stability of family ties. Journal of College Student Development, 31, 39-46.
56.
Kenny, M. E. (1993, August). The high school-to-college transition: An attachment perspective. In F. G. Lopez & D. L. Blustein (Chairs), Contemporary extensions of attachment theory: Implications for theory and practice. Symposium conducted at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.
57.
Kenny, M. E. (1994). Quality and correlates of parental attachment among late adolescents. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72, 399-403.
58.
Kenny, M. E. , & Donaldson, G. (1991). Contributions of parental attachment and family structure to the social and psychological functioning of first-year college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38, 479-486.
59.
Kenny, M. E. , & Donaldson, G. (1992). The relationship of parental attachment and psychological separation to the adjustment of first-year college women. Journal of College Student Development, 33, 431-438.
60.
Kenny, M. E. , & Rice, K. G. (this issue). Attachment to parents and adjustment in late adolescent college students: Current Status, applications, and future considerations. The Counseling Psychologist, 23, 433-456.
61.
Kenny, M. E. , & Hart, K. (1992). Relationship between parental attachment and eating disorders in an inpatient and a college sample. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 39, 521-526.
62.
Kenny, M. E. , Moilanen, D. L., Lomax, R., & Brabeck, M. M. (1993). Contributions of parental attachments to view of self and depressive symptoms among early adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 13, 408-430.
63.
Kessler, R. , Price, R., & Wortmann, C. (1985). Social factors in psychopathology: Stress, social support, and coping processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 36, 531-572.
64.
Kobak, R. R. , Cole, H., Ferenz-Gilles, Fleming, W. & Gamble, W. (1993). Attachment and emotion regulation during mother-teen problem solving: A control theory analysis. Child Development, 64, 231-245.
65.
Kobak, R. R. , & Sceery, A. (1988). Attachment in late adolescence: Working models, affect regulation, and representations of self and others. Child Development, 59, 135-146.
66.
Kobak, R. R. , Sudler, N., & Gamble, W. (1992). Attachment and depressive symptoms during adolescence: A developmental pathways analysis. Development and Psychopathology, 3, 461-474.
67.
Lapsley, D. K. , Rice, K. G., & FitzGerald, D. (1990). Adolescent attachment, identity, and adjustment to college: Implications for the continuity of adaptation hypothesis. Journal of Counseling and Development, 68, 561-565.
68.
Lewinsohn, P. M. , & Rosenbaum, M. (1987). Recall of parental behavior by acute depressives, remitted depressives, and nondepressives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 611-619.
69.
LeVine, R. A. , & Miller, P. M. (1990). Commentary. Human Development, 33, 73-80.
70.
Lopez, F. G. (1992). Family dynamics and late adolescent identity development. In S. Brown & R. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of counseling psychology (pp. 251-283). New York: Wiley.
71.
Lopez, F. G. (this issue). Contemporary attachment theory: An introduction with implications for counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 23, 395-415.
72.
Lopez, F. G. , Campbell, V. L., & Watkins, C. E., Jr. (1988). Family structure, psychological separation, and college adjustment: A canonical analysis and cross validation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 35, 402-409.
73.
Lopez, F.G. , Campbell, V. L., & Watkins, C. E., Jr. (1989). Constructions of family functioning among depressed and nondepressed college students. Journal of College Student Development, 30, 221-228.
74.
Lopez, F. G. , & Gover, M. R. (1993). Self-report measures of parent-adolescent attachment and separation-individuation: A selective review. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, 560-569.
75.
Lyddon, W. J. , Bradford, E., & Nelson, J. P. (1993). Assessing adolescent and adult attachment: A review of current self-report measures. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, 390-395.
76.
Lykes, M. B. (1985). Gender and individualistic vs. collectivist bases for notions about the self. Journal of Personality, 53, 356-383.
77.
Main, M. , & Goldwyn, R. (1985). Adult attachment rating and classification system. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley.
78.
Main, M. , Kaplan, N., & Cassidy, J. (1985). Security in infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the level of representation. In I. Bretherton & E. Waters, (Eds.), Growing point of attachment theory and research. Monographs of the Society for Research on Child Development, 50, 66-104. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
79.
Mallinckrodt, B. (1992). Childhood emotional bonds with parents, development of adult social competencies, and availability of social support. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 39, 453-461.
80.
McEwen, M. K. , Roper, L. D., Bryant, D. R., Langa, M. J. (1990). Incorporating the development of African American students into psychosocial theories of student development. Journal of College Student Development, 31, 429-436.
81.
Miller, J. B. (1976). Toward a new psychology of women. Boston: Beacon Press.
82.
Nettles, M. T. , Theony, A. R., & Gosman, E. J. (1986). Comparative and predictive analyses of Black and White students' college achievement and experiences. Journal of Higher Education, 57, 289-318.
83.
Papini, D. R. , & Roggman, L. A. (1992). Adolescent perceived attachment to parents in relation to competence, depression, and anxiety: A longitudinal study. Journal of Early Adolescence, 12, 420-440.
84.
Parker, G. , Tupling, H., & Brown, L. B. (1979). A parental bonding instrument. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 52, 1-10.
85.
Petersen, A. C. , Kennedy, R. E., & Sullivan, P. (1991). Coping with adolescence. In M. E. Colten & S. Gore (Eds.), Adolescent stress: Causes and consequences (pp. 93-110). Hawthorne, New York: Aldine De Gruyter.
86.
Petersen, A. C. , Sarigiani, P. A., & Kennedy, R. E. (1991). Adolescent depression: Why more girls?Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 20(2), 247-271.
87.
Pistole, M. C. (1989). Attachment: Implications for counselors. Journal of Counseling and Development, 68, 190-193.
88.
Rice, K. G. (1990). Attachment in adolescence: A narrative and meta-analytic review. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 19, 511-538.
89.
Rice, K. G. , Herman, M. A., & Petersen, A. C. (1993). Coping with challenge in adolescence: A conceptual model and psycho-educational intervention. Journal of Adolescence, 16, 235-251.
90.
Rice, K. G. , FitzGerald, D. P., Whaley, T. J., & Gibbs, C. L. (in press). Cross-sectional and longitudinal examination of attachment, separation-individuation, and adjustment to college. Journal of Counseling and Development.
91.
Rice, K. G. , & Whaley, T. J. (in press). A short-term longitudinal study of within-semester stability and change in attachment and college student adjustment. Journal of College Student Development.
92.
Ryan, R. M. & Lynch, J. H. (1989). Emotional autonomy versus detachment: Revisiting the vicissitudes of adolescence and young adulthood. Child Development, 60, 340-356.
93.
Schultheiss, D.E.P. , & Blustein, D. L. (1994). Role of adolescent-parent relationships in college student development and adjustment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 41, 248-255.
94.
Shaver, P. R. , & Hazan, C. (1988). Abiased overview of the study of love. Journal of Social and Personality Relationships, 5, 473-501.
95.
Smedley, B. D. , Myers, H. F., & Harrell, S. P. (1993). Minority-status stresses and the college adjustment of ethnic minority freshmen. Journal of Higher Education, 64, 434-452.
96.
Sroufe, L. A. (1989, May). Pathways to adaptation and maladaptation: Psychopathology as developmental deviation. Paper presented at the Clinical Developmental Institute, Development and Psychopathology: Clinical Developmental Perspectives, Cambridge, MA.
97.
Sroufe, L. A. , & Waters, E. (1977). Attachment as an organizational perspective. Child Development, 48, 1184-1199.
98.
Surrey, J. (1991). The self-in-relation: A theory of women's development (Paper presented at Stone Center colloquium in December 1983). In A. Kaplan, J. B. Miller, I. Stiver, & J. L. Surrey (Eds.), Women's growth in connection (pp. 51-61). New York: Guilford Press.
99.
Tracey, T. J. , & Sedlacek, W. E. (1985). The relationship of noncognitive variables to academic success: A longitudinal comparison by race. Journal of College Student Personnel, 26, 405-410.
100.
Weiner, I. B. (1992). Psychological disturbance in adolescence, (2nd edition). New York: Wiley-Interscience.
101.
Weiss, R. (1991). The attachment bond in childhood and adulthood. In C. M. Parkes & J. Stevenson-Hinde (Eds.), Attachment across the life cycle (pp. 66-76). London: Routledge.
102.
Westen, D. (1991). Social cognition and object relations. Psychological Bulletin, 109, 429-455.
103.
Wright, D. J. (1984). Orienting minority students. In M. L. Upcraft (Ed.), Orienting students to college. New Directions for Student Services, No. 25 (pp. 53-66). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
