Mg. Gittleman et al., Recollections of parental behaviour, adult attachment and mental health: mediating and moderating effects, PSYCHOL MED, 28(6), 1998, pp. 1443-1455
Background. Attachment theory posits links between early experiences with p
arents, adult relationships and adult mental health, but does not specify w
hether these are independent, mediating, or moderating effects.
Methods. Associations of parent's behaviour on the Parental Bonding Instrum
ent, adult attachment styles and three dimensions of mental health were inv
estigated in a large sample of women and men.
Results. Men and women with secure styles recalled higher levels of care fr
om both parents than those with fearful styles. Maternal and paternal contr
ol were more consistent predictors of increased distress for men than for w
omen. Fearful and preoccupied adult styles were associated with higher leve
ls of distress in both men and women. While adult styles had few mediating
effects on the association of parental behaviour and mental health, interac
tions between the fearful style and parental variables suggested that this
form of insecurity sometimes accentuated the impact of high parental care o
r low paternal control on mental hearth in both men and women; among women,
however, the secure style seemed to buffer somewhat the negative effect of
high parental control.
Conclusion. Although the amount of variance explained by either parental be
haviour or adult styles was modest, patterns of moderating effects of adult
styles on associations between parental behaviour and mental health sugges
ted that both continuity and discontinuity principles can be applied to und
erstanding these links.