Attachment in conflictive vs. harmonious families: A Social Relations Model analysis

In this study, we will explore to what extent differences in quality of affectional bonds between all family members during adolescence can be explained by: (1) characteristics of the person reporting the attachment; (2) characteristics of the attachment figure; (3) characteristics of the specific relationship and (4) characteristics of the family as a whole, by applying the Social Relations Model (SRM). Additionally, we will examine whether general level of family hostility influences the relative importance of these four types of characteristics in explaining individual differences in quality of attachment.
Both parents and two adolescent children from 288 families filled out questionnaires concerning their attachment to as well as hostility with all other participating family members. A general family hostility score was calculated by taking the mean of all hostility scores within the family. Families were divided into two groups: the low hostility group (the 25% lowest scoring families), and the high hostility group (the 25% highest scoring families). Results from SRM-analyses were compared between the two different groups to examine whether processes are similar or different.
Results indicate that attachment processes differ for the four types of affectional bonds within the family. Additionally, our analyses suggest that the relative importance of characteristics of the individual reporting the attachment, of the attachment figure, and of the specific attachment relationship is different for families with a low level of family hostility on the one hand and for families with a high level of family hostility on the other hand.