Parental Caregiving and Adolescent Attachment as Determinants of Adolescent Self-Improvement: Differences Between Mother– and Father–Child Dyads in Japan

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the associations between adolescent attachment styles, parental caregiving styles, and self-improvement in early adolescence. We analyzed data from 385 Japanese mother–adolescent dyads and 201 father–adolescent dyads (mothers’ mean age is 46.48, fathers’ mean age is 48.58, and adolescents’ age ranged from 13 to 15). The results showed that attachment avoidance was negatively associated with adolescent self-improvement in all domains. The negative associations between attachment avoidance for mother and self-improvement in some domains are stronger in mother–daughter dyads than mother–son dyads. Regarding self-improvement in the domain of health, attachment anxiety and caregiving hyperactivation showed an interaction effect in father–adolescent dyads. The findings underscore the differential roles that mother– and father–child relationships play in adolescent development. The results also proposed the importance of examining the interaction between adolescent attachment styles and parental caregiving styles.