Poster #59 - The Effect of Father-Adolescent Attachment on Anxiety Outcomes: A Longitudinal Analysis

• In Event: Poster Session 12

Abstract

Family relationships can significantly influence adolescents’ levels of anxiety (Kerns et al., 2011; Brumariu & Kerns, 2010). A secure attachment relationship with his or her parents can “buffer” a child from stress and anxiety, while insecurity can lead to maladjustment (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987; Papini & Roggman, 1992). Given that adolescence is often marked by stressful transitions, which contribute to corresponding increases in adolescent reports of anxiety (Mazzone et al., 2007; Cummings et al., 2014), this buffering effect may be even more salient during the transition into adolescence (Ge et al., 2001). While attachment to both mothers and fathers is important, some evidence suggests that parents may have differential impacts on their child’s anxiety outcomes (Liu, 2008). While earlier research focused solely on mother-child attachment, recent studies suggest that aspects of fathering and the father-child relationship may relate to the development of anxiety (E-Sheikh & Buckhalt, 2003; Feld, 2015; Groh et al., 2012).

Therefore, the present study addressed the following research questions: 1)Do changes in attachment predict changes in anxiety during early adolescence? and 2)Are changes in anxiety differently predicted by changes in mother vs. father attachment? Measures of attachment security and anxiety were collected from participating families (mothers, fathers, and seventh through ninth grade adolescents) from a longitudinal study conducted in a Northeastern metropolitan area and a small city in the Midwest (n=272; 44.9% male).

Two growth-curve models were specified: one for mothers and the other for fathers (see Figure 1 for a depiction of the father model). The models were a good fit for the data, χ2 (22) = 58.792, p < .001, CFI = .955, RMSEA = 0.076, SRMR = 0.054 (father) and χ2 (22) = 63.871, p < .001, CFI = .949, RMSEA = 0.081, SRMR = .051 (mother). Results indicated that linear increases in adolescent reports of attachment with their fathers predicted significant linear decreases in adolescent reports of anxiety (b = -0.344, s.e. = 0.166, 95%CI[-0.670,-0.018]). The same effect was not identified for adolescent reports of attachment with their mother.

These findings reveal that adolescents’ attachment with their fathers – but not mothers– predict decreases in adolescent anxiety. Although previous studies have extensively underscored the ways that mothers contribute to their child’s emotional security by providing comfort and support during distress, the present study contributes to a growing body of research that likewise highlights the importance of the father-child relationship. In particular, recent work suggests that the father-child relationship may serve a function of encouraging positive social skills and helping adolescents navigate other developmental challenges during this period (Feld, 2015; Yan et al., 2018; Newland et al., 2013). Given that fathers may help their adolescents meet these challenges – and that these challenges have been shown to relate to subsequent anxiety– the current finding that only the father-adolescent attachment relationship was predictive of anxiety outcomes is highly relevant. While the results highlight an important effect of fathers on adolescents’ anxiety, future research should continue to elucidate the unique roles that fathers play in adolescent development.

Authors

• Savannah Vetterly, University of Notre Dame
  Presenting Author

• Sarah Hoegler, University of Notre Dame

• E. Mark Cummings, University of Notre Dame