Short communicationParental alcoholism: Relationships to adult attachment in college women and men
Section snippets
Participants
Participants were 484 undergraduates (361 women and 123 men) at a public university in southeastern Virginia. Their ages ranged from 18 to 30 years (M=20.3; SD=2.7). In this sample, 54% were White, 31% Black or African-American, 4% Asian, 4% Hispanic/Latino, and 7% other or unspecified ethnicities. They participated anonymously for extra credit in their classes.
Relationship Style Questionnaire (RSQ; Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994)
The RSQ is a 30-item measure that assesses four general adult attachment dimensions: (1) secure, (2) fearful, (3) preoccupied, and (4)
Results
The non-ACOA group consisted of 98 men and 233 women (CAST M=0.06, SD=0.29). The ACOA group included 21 men and 88 women (CAST M=13.04, SD=5.35, Range=6–28). Persons with CAST scores from 2 to 5 were indeterminate and were excluded. Within the ACOA group, 19% responded affirmatively to the CAST item “thought their mother was an alcoholic,” 66% believed this was true of their father, and 6% believed both parents to be alcoholic. Women were more likely to be classified as ACOA (i.e., 27.4% of the
Discussion
Relative to non-ACOAs, the interpersonal models of ACOAs lead them to perceive adult relationships with more apprehension. ACOAs were more likely to possess both avoidant and anxious romantic attachment attitudes compared to their non-ACOA peers. Therefore, college student ACOAs may be more likely to regulate attachment to others by maintaining a defensive, self-protective orientation to relationships.
Most developmentalists agree that early and ongoing experiences with caregivers coalesce into
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