PRIVACY REGULATION AND PLACE ATTACHMENT - PREDICTING ATTACHMENTS TO ASTUDENT FAMILY HOUSING FACILITY

Although similar processes and functions have been proposed for privac y regulation and place attachment, little theoretical or empirical wor k encompasses both constructs. In the present study, a theoretical mod el relates privacy regulation to place attachment in the home. Accordi ng to this model, the home setting may either facilitate or inhibit pr ivacy regulation with family. When regulation is facilitated, family f unctioning and feelings of control should be enhanced, promoting attac hments to the home. Questionnaire data from student family apartment r esidents supported this model. Residents who reported greater ease in regulating privacy with family also reported greater apartment attachm ent. Analyses suggested that this relationship was mediated by family functioning and feelings of control. Similar relationships were found for three different types of attachment. By bridging across concepts o ften treated separately, the model supported in this study suggests ne w directions for theoretical and empirical study, and new applications for housing policy and design. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited.